From the Charlotte Observer:
A day after saying his plans were “undetermined,” former U.S. Rep. Republican Robin Hayes said today he won’t run for congressional seat he lost last November.
“I’m going to do everything I can to help recruit and finance and give what experience and assistance I can to make sure that that person – and it’s not going to be me – is properly prepared,” Hayes told News 14.
This is good news for Kissell, who is not known as an energetic fundraiser (and likely will never be), in that Hayes could always be counted on to cough up a few million bucks to lend to his own campaign. I’d still expect Kissell to get a serious challenge, but it at least it will be from someone whom he can probably compete with at a more even financial level.
Outgoing Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, possibly the strongest nominee the GOP could muster here (though, he doesn’t live in the district), is still not committing to a run.
RaceTracker Wiki: NC-08
I thought that Pat McCrory said in his concession speech that he wouldn’t run again after he lost to Bev Perdue. In addition, he narrowly lost Mecklenberg county to Perdue in the governor’s race.
Why would the GOP want Hayes as their nominee. He has shown how poor a choice he would be by losing in a landslide.
is heavily Democratic, Obama got about 75% of the vote there. Also, only 15.44% of the district’s population lives in Mecklenburg County. I’m pretty sure that McCrory lost the district, and even if he didn’t it is still extremely Democratic on the local level and in other races. I can’t see McCrory running-or winning-here.
it will be Sue Myrick’s district, once she retires. That’s probably the area of Mecklenberg where he is the strongest. As others have noted, the sliver of Charlotte that is in NC-08 is not very friendly to Rs. Plus, it looks like McCrory didn’t go over so well in the eastern part of the district. That area was always Robin Hayes’ weak spot, and it was the main reason why he always performed so weakly against less-than-first-rate challengers.