Rep. Hugh Holliman has finally risen to a position that would enable him to control the debate in the legislature on an issue that hits particularly close to home -- the death penalty.

But he says he won't.

That's the price Holliman, a Lexington Democrat, says he will pay for becoming the House majority leader. He won't let his personal history change that.

Twenty-two years ago, his only daughter, Suzi, was abducted, raped and stabbed to death. Holliman watched her killer's execution in the gas chamber.

But if House Democrats take a stand for a death penalty moratorium, Holliman said, "I will not speak against it or work against it. I will not use my position for that. I made that commitment when I ran for majority leader, and it's the right thing to do."

Holliman said that doesn't mean he won't vote against efforts to stop the death penalty. But as the leader of House Democrats, who control the chamber with a 68-52 majority, Holliman said he owes a larger responsibility to the wishes of his Democratic colleagues.

That decision is one of many that shows Holliman's pragmatism as he has climbed the ranks after three terms in the House. The pro-business Democrat, who owns a print shop, backed a $1 increase in the minimum wage in the last session, for example. But he used the issue to win support for separate legislation creating a tax credit to help small businesses provide health insurance for their employees.

While Holliman is saddened by his 16-year-old daughter's death, he has not let it define him.

"I've been around a lot of people who have had homicides in their families, and the first thing you have to know is you will never get over it," he said. "There's always an empty seat at the table. I think the thing I pride upon myself and my wife, who has also had to handle it, is life is for the living, and we are trying to make a positive difference in our lives and for North Carolina."

A straight shooter

House Democrats say Holliman won the majority leader position because he listens and has good ideas for how to keep Democrats in control of the House. They say he has a steady temperament, gets to the heart of an issue and doesn't throw his ego around. He speaks in a soft voice that warbles a bit, kind of like Sterling Holloway, the late actor who was the voice of Winnie the Pooh.

"It is so clear that he's somebody who has an open mind, who is thoughtful and approachable and is going to be straight up with you," said Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat. "Let's just say we could use a little bit more of that in this body."

Ross said Holliman's reputation helped him survive the heat he took from some colleagues for being one of the first Democrats to criticize some of former House Speaker Jim Black's political activities.

Holliman challenged Black's assertion that it was OK to distribute campaign checks with the payee lines blank, a practice used by Black and his fellow optometrists. Holliman said Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, should not have allowed his then-unpaid political director, Meredith Norris, to also work as a lobbyist for clients with business before the legislature. And nearly a year ago, Holliman sought a meeting of House Democrats to discuss how Black's troubles might hurt them in the November elections.

One of his colleagues, Rep. Jim Crawford, an Oxford Democrat, suggested at the time that Holliman's stances on Black's activities were as much about Holliman's desire to be speaker. When Holliman asked Crawford to bring together pro-business Democrats to talk about Black's troubles, Crawford said he told Holliman: "'Well, I'll be glad to get them together, Hugh, but I'm interested in that job, too.'"

Next page >