Candidate lost, but supporters win raffle

Stan Morse donates $1,000 in their name

RALEIGH -- As a last act in his quixotic campaign, unsuccessful State House candidate Stan Morse has announced the winners of an election season raffle intended to draw attention to his accidental bid for the seat in north Wake's District 40.

In August, the Democratic hopeful launched an ad campaign offering to pay a potential voter a $1,000 grand prize donated to a favorite church, school or charity.

Raffle numbers were printed on the back of Morse's brochures handed out during campaign events and canvassing drives. Potential voters also could get a contest number by visiting Morse's Web site.

On New Year's Eve, nearly two months after losing to Republican incumbent Rep. Marilyn Avila, Morse announced that North Raleigh residents Ed and Christina Harvey won the raffle.

The couple matched a contest number printed on the back of one of Morse's campaign brochures with a winning number posted on Morse's campaign Web site.

Honoring his pledge, Morse made donations totaling $1,000 in the Harveys' name.

The couple chose to split the money between the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Triangle Family Services and the Raleigh Rescue Mission.

"We were surprised and honored to win," Ed Harvey said last week. "We chose to support local charities helping those hardest hit by this economy."

Morse also offered 50 smaller prizes, many of which went unclaimed. As a result, he chose to give another $500 to Rolesville Rural Fire Department.

Morse's raffle initially raised concerns about whether it might violate state statutes intended to keep candidates from buying votes and laws that bar private lotteries. But election officials, somewhat bemused, signed off on the legality of Morse's raffle.

Campaign finance reports show that Morse ended up spending more money than he took in. He said last week he was paying for the prizes out-of-pocket. He had always faced an uphill battle, running against a politically connected incumbent in a GOP-majority district.

Morse won the Democratic primary in May despite endorsing his opponent. Though he was unsuccessful in November -- losing to Avila 57 percent to 43 percent -- Morse didn't rule out taking another shot at unseating her in 2010.

"I really loved it," Morse said of campaigning. "The interaction with the people and the meeting of so many people was a thrill."