RALEIGH -- For much of the fall, U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge has played the role of a political Hamlet as he decides whether to seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr next year.
Etheridge's indecision has left the Democratic primary field unsettled about six months before the May primary. Etheridge aides said Wednesday that he plans to announce his decision this week.
Etheridge, the lanky former Harnett County tobacco farmer and small businessman, has been courted for the race by the Democratic SenatorialCampaign Committee since last spring. The committee's first choice, N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper, ruled out running.
It is a familiar role for Etheridge, who has considered running for the Senate in previous years. Etheridge had initially indicated he would not run for the Senate this time, but Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Democratic campaign committee, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada prevailed on him to reconsider.
The Etheridge decision underscores the importance of the national parties in Senate races. In some ways the DSCC has become a kingmaker in Senate politics. The group's decision to get behind state Sen. Kay Hagan last year, spending $11.5 million on her behalf, was critical in her defeat of Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole.
It was the DSCC, not Hagan's campaign, that ran the TV commercials featuring two elderly men in rocking chairs talking about Dole being old and ineffective.
The committee "is especially important against an incumbent who has access to PAC and special interest money that a challenger does not have," said Gary Pearce, a Raleigh-based Democratic strategist.
Two Democrats - Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Chapel Hill lawyer Ken Lewis - have already entered the race. Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham of Lexington has been campaigning nearly full time across the state in an exploratory effort, but he announced Monday that he would not be a candidate. Cunningham had hoped to get the DSCC nod if Etheridge decided not to run, but he apparently ran out of patience.
Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy is considering running, and former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker of Sanford said this week that he would look closely at getting into the race if Etheridge opts out.
Cautious Etheridge
In courting Etheridge, the DSCC has turned to one of the warhorses of the state Democratic Party -- a folksy political moderate who has served as Harnett County commissioners chairman, as a key legislator, as superintendent of public instruction, and as a member of Congress. Etheridge is an adept fundraiser and has more than $1 million in his campaign accounts.
The betting in Tar Heel political circles is that Etheridge will not run, although many are surprised he is taking this long to decide. Etheridge has a reputation for being politically cautious, and he recently won a coveted seat on the House Ways and Means Committee.
Some Democrats believe Burr, who is in his first term, could be vulnerable next year. Several public polls have shown that Burr is not well known across the state, but he matches up well against potential Democrat opponents.
But after Republican victories in the governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, and with the economy still mired in a deep recession, Democrats are also concerned that 2010 could be shaping up as a good Republican year.
"It's going to take a very strong candidate to win this race against Richard Burr," Wicker said.
