Having grown up in North Carolina and being a distant relative to “Senator Sam”, I’ve been told many times that his Class 3 Senate seat has been cursed. Is this true? Here are the facts:
(1) Sam Ervin was a conservative Democrat that held the highest regards for the U.S. Constitution. He was often at odds with the Democratic party on key issues, especially civil rights.
(2) Sam Ervin was the chair of the Watergate Committee.
(3) Sam Ervin’s replacement, Bob Morgan, was from a similar mold as Sam, but not as eloquent in delivery. Having served for one term, he was defeated in 1980 due in part from the Reagan Revolution.
(4) Morgan’s successor, John East, was a conservative Republican East Carolina professor from the same cloth as Jesse Helms. East was bound in a wheelchair, had been suffering, and commits suicide in 1986.
(5) Jim Broyhill is appointed to replace John East. Broyhill, a Republican, faced former NC Governor Terry Sanford in the general election. Sanford won due to name recognition and the fact that 1986 was a Democratic year.
(6) Terry Sanford votes against the first Gulf War, angering many North Carolinians. Sanford also suffered from health issues and may wondered if he could serve another 6 years. Lauch Faircloth (R), a former Democrat and ally of Sanford, defeats Sanford in a close election.
(7) Faircloth appears to be a clone of Jesse Helms. He had a fond dislike for President Clinton, making some politically incorrect comment about Clinton’s family and marriage. Faircloth was also advancing in age. John Edwards, a young, eloquent speaker, runs as a moderate as a Democrat and defeats Faircloth in another close election.
(8) John Edwards has further political ambitions and decides in 2003 not to run for another term. Richard Burr (R) defeats Erskine Bowles (D) in the general election.
(9) Richard Burr has served 4 1/2 undistinguished years as a US Senator. Many North Carolinians have no clue that he is their US Senator. He’s displayed poor judgment (i.e. telling his wife to withdraw as much money as allowable from the ATM because of the financial crisis).
Is this seat cursed? Or is it the fact that mitigating circumstances has prevented the incumbent from serving more than one term?
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by running a DINO like Robert Morgan in ’74.
Presidential years bring out extra Republican voters reflecting the state’s Republican lean for President, while in non-presidential years those voters stay home and the state reverts to its normal Democratic lean for all other statewide offices. Note that Republicans have won all the Presidential year elections (80, 92, 04) and Democrats have won all the non-Presidential years (74, 86, 98). That’s why Burr is toast in 2010.
The other seat didn’t alternate because of Jesse.
The seat may not be cursed but the political climate in North Carolina caused the instability. The seat really began to switch parties like clockwork in 1980 when the Reagan Revolution marked the end of the “Solid South.” North Carolina seems to be an political enigma in itself. They send Democrats to Raleigh and Republicans to Washington. The Class 3 seat will really only stabilize when more people from the North move into the state like Virginia.
Yes, this seat is cursed. Which is good, because it will mean a Dem pickup.