Elaine Marshall's Senate campaign recently delivered a memo saying there was no way that Cal Cunningham could win the June 22 primary runoff.
It said, among other things: "In a runoff election, Cal Cunningham has no path to victory."
Now, the Cunningham campaign has issued its own competing memo titled: "Dewey Defeats Truman Redux?"
The memo, from Cunningham spokesman Jared Leopold, notes that the Marshall campaign had earlier said it would win the first primary with more than 40 percent of the vote. And it points to a new poll by Public Policy Polling that shows the runoff to be a dead heat.
"For the second time in as many weeks, Elaine Marshall's campaign boldly declared victory - only to be immediately brought down to earth by inconvenient facts," the memo said.
"While Elaine Marshall's campaign chooses to take a second premature victory lap, Cal Cunningham will continue to focus on the issues that matter to North Carolina voters," Leopold wrote.
No debate June 2
Marshall has turned down an invitation for a televised debate proposed by WWAY in Wilmington. Cunningham had previously accepted the station's invitation.
The station had proposed a debate on June 2. But the station announced Friday that Marshall had declined, citing a scheduling conflict.
The station said it explored other possible dates, but Marshall said she would participate only in the two debates sponsored by WRAL and NBC-17.
Cunningham, who had proposed five televised debates before the Democratic Senate runoff June 22, expressed disappointment.
Myrick pushes security
Congresswoman Sue Myrick wants airline passengers who purchase tickets with cash to undergo background checks.
The Charlotte Republican is urging greater security after Faisal Shahzad, the failed Times Square bomber, made it through security and boarded an airplane, although he was on a no-fly list, before being arrested.
Myrick sent a letter to President Barack Obama last week urging him to give Transportation Security Administration agents greater authority in screening airline passengers.
"I urge you to use your authority to allow TSA agents to personally check the identification of passengers, who purchase airline tickets in cash hours before takeoff, against existing terrorist databases," Myrick wrote. "While paying for a ticket in cash is not a crime, it is clear that terrorists are using cash purchases in an effort to evade the law enforcement."
Leaders back Johnson
GOP leaders appear to be lining up behind Harold Johnson in the 8th District congressional runoff, an acrimonious campaign that exposes some of the intra-party fault lines Republicans face in other states.
A day after returning from meetings with GOP leaders in Washington, Johnson won the endorsement of former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes. The Concord Republican represented the district for a decade before losing to Democrat Larry Kissell in 2008.
Johnson and businessman Tim D'Annunzio face off June 22 for the right to challenge Kissell in the fall.
By staff writer Rob Christensen and Jim Morrill of The Charlotte Observer.
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