NC-Sen: Marshall Seriously Weighing a Run

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After spinning our wheels for months in the recruitment process against GOP Sen. Richard Burr, it looks like Democrats have a strong chance of enticing North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marhsall to jump into the race. In an interview with Hotline On Call, Marshall stresses that Burr, being both "beatable" and "worse than Mrs. Dole", is shaping up to be an appealing target, but it's going to come down to money:

NC Sec/State Elaine Marshall (D) is seriously considering a run for NC SEN and plans to make her final announcement about a run against in the fall. In an exclusive interview with On Call, she said the key to her decision was money.

"Let's face it, it's hard to run a campaign in North Carolina," Marshall said. "You can't do it without some outside money. So these are the things I'm assessing."

Marshall said she expected a serious bid against Sen. Richard Burr (R) race would require "in the ballpark" of $15M, the same amount now-Sen. Kay Hagan (D) spent in '08 to defeat ex-Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R). She said she's about to make her second trip to DC this year to meet with nat'l party officials and donors to "test the waters" on a run.

Marshall, having won statewide office four consecutive times, would be an instantly credible foe for Burr. A March poll from Public Policy Polling had Burr leading Marshall by 43-35... which is a pretty unimpressive margin considering that 53% of voters in that survey had no opinion of Marhsall whatsoever. There's no question that Marshall would have to step up her game for a Senate campaign, but it's a challenge that she thinks she's up to:

"Not many people know how to run statewide here," she said. "It's hard to get your feet wet here. But I've proven I know how to do it."

But a race for Sec/State -- a job which many NCians don't really understand -- is vastly different than a SEN bid that's likely to get nat'l attention in '10. Marshall admitted she spent "around" $500K to win her lopsided victory in '08.

But Marshall said she's up for the challenge. "I know how to do it," she said. "I was the second highest vote-getter last time around. I'm a person who can deal with the urban and the rural. I'm ready."

With the members of NC's Democratic House delegation reluctant to pull the trigger on a run, and the current pair of prospective candidates (Durham attorney Kenneth Lewis and ex-state Sen. Cal Cunningham) being complete unknowns, Marhsall may be our best bet.

http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/5302/ncsen-marshall-seriously-weighing-a-run

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