by John Plecnik
august 10, 2004
With U.S. Rep. Richard Burr retiring from the House to run for U.S. Senate, the conservative 5th district of North Carolina sports an open seat. Political legacies, millionaire businessmen, and incumbent politicians all declared their intention to run for the Republican nomination. The race quickly became one of the most contested in the nation.
Many candidates distinguished themselves. Businessmen Jay Helvey and Nathan Tabor both drew considerable attention and are likely to seek high office again. However, most pundits narrowed the field to three likely contenders. For some time, the campaigns of businessman Ed Broyhill (son of former U.S. Sen. James Broyhill), State Sen. Virginia Foxx, and Councilman Vernon Robinson were predicted to garner the most support.
With eight candidates running--and five polling double digits--no one received the 40% necessary to avoid an august runoff. Robinson and Foxx polled at 24% and 22% respectively, leaving them the top two vote getters of the most expensive congressional primary in the nation. Broyhill’s defeat surprised most N.C. politicos. The supposed frontrunner lost the race for second place by 511 votes.
For the most part, Foxx has run a traditional, grassroots campaign. The constituents from her state senate district turned out in large numbers during the primary. Virtually all of her modest finances were drawn from North Carolina. Foxx’s conservative message and record as a five-term state legislator have buoyed her to the top.
Robinson, on the other hand, has courted national attention from the very beginning. Were he to prevail, Robinson would become the first african-american Republican to serve in congress since the retirement of J.C. Watts. Contributors to popular, conservative publications such as ChronWatch, NewsMax, and GOPUSa point to the Winston-Salem city councilman as the next generation of black conservative. Using this image, Robinson has raised and spent over two million dollars--amassing a king’s ransom from out-of-state donors.
The Robinson campaign is best characterized as highly negative. The councilman joined Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado in criticizing President George W. Bush on immigration policy. Robinson even stated that the Republican Party was to blame for america’s immigration crisis. The rhetoric was so hot that former U.S. Rep. Jack Kemp withdrew his endorsement of Robinson. It was later reported by NCRumors.com that the Bush campaign quietly informed Robinson’s staff to resign for the sake of their careers.
That said, the councilman’s attacks have not been confined to excoriating the Bush administration. He has often portrayed his competitors as dishonest or liberal. No love is lost between Robinson and his defeated opponents. Former candidate Nathan Tabor, a Christian conservative, was labeled as pro-abortion and pro-gay by the Robinson machine. "I would highly encourage voters in the 5th District not to vote for Vernon Robinson in the upcoming runoff election," said Tabor, "[He] has a credibility and character problem."
Now, Robinson is referring to Foxx as a liberal senator. He falsely claims that Foxx is pro-tax and pro-gay. "With her liberal record I did not believe she would be able to get a toe-hold in the race," sniped Robinson. "But she ran away from her record and told people she was just like Vernon, only old and white."
Robinson’s attacks have outstripped the negativity of all his opponents combined. His incessant, biting criticism of fellow Republicans is seen as a coup by N.C. Democrats. Pamphlets that read, "Vote Robinson…then [Democrat]," are already circulating. Though Robinson’s smear campaign has turned off many voters, most pundits are confident that even he could beat the Democrat challenger. The real concern is that Robinson could tank his own Party at the state and national levels.
Like Foxx, U.S. Rep. Richard Burr depends heavily on his old base for the coming elections. If the voters of Winston-Salem and the 5th district fail to turnout in large numbers, the five-term congressman could easily lose his U.S. Senate bid to former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles. With Republicans holding a razor-thin 51-seat majority in the U.S. Senate, every seat counts. Frankly put, the Party cannot afford to have a Bush-basher on the ticket. Bush and Burr are too closely associated.
Former State Sen. Patrick Ballantine also counts on strong support from the 5th district. In his race to replace N.C. Gov. Mike Easley, Ballantine needs high turnout from traditionally conservative counties. He needs popular Republican candidates to electrify the base and bear up his ticket. Foxx has been a strong supporter of the Ballantine campaign. Robinson has been a strong distraction.
Less likely, but more troubling, Robinson’s anti-Bush rhetoric could snowball into a victory for the Kerry-Edwards ticket. While few consider North Carolina a swing state, a lot can happen between now and November.
In the humble opinion of this editorialist, a vote for Virginia Foxx is a vote for Bush, Burr, and Ballantine. a win for Vernon Robinson may portend the end of the N.C. Republican Party’s political momentum.
John T. Plecnik is a 20-year-old law student at Duke University and Executive Editor of The Devil’s advocate. as Policy advisor for the Duke Chapter, John authored the first-ever statewide platform for the North Carolina Federation of College Republicans.
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