NC-08: Labor-Backed Candidate Declines Third Party Run

It’s a no-go for Wendell Fant:

Former Democratic congressional staffer Wendell Fant announced Friday that he will not mount a third-party campaign against North Carolina Rep. Larry Kissell, rebuffing calls from activists to challenge the Democratic incumbent for his vote against health care reform.

Fant has been urged to make the race by North Carolina Families First, a labor-backed group that gathered more than 30,000 petitions to put Fant’s name on the ballot. […]

Fant also said Kissell had soothed the frustration of some liberals when he voted for the Democratic-backed American Jobs Act in May.

“He’s also heard our message…and lately he’s voted in ways that make a difference for all of us,” Fant said, praising Kissell for “voting for jobs and our families and against corporate special interests.”

You may recall a recent PPP poll that suggested that Kissell would actually have an easier time with Fant in the mix, as Fant’s candidacy drew a significant amount of Republican support from Harold Johnson. I’m on the record as doubting that such a split would be sustainable through a heated election campaign, as conservatives wouldn’t be likely to stick with the left-leaning Fant after a rigorous campaign by all comers. Fant’s presence on the ballot had much more potential to split core Democratic support than anything else, making this turn of events good news for Larry Kissell.

9 thoughts on “NC-08: Labor-Backed Candidate Declines Third Party Run”

  1. Glad to see Fant has at least some perspective and can see the bigger picture here.

    It may be to little to late.  Kissell is a pathetic fundraiser and he may not have enough money to defend himself.

  2. Because if so, then I could believe him getting some GOP vote as many GOPers could be like, oh, tea-bagger probably.

  3. Its really too bad Tim D’Nutso lost the GOP runoff – I’m really gonna miss stuff like this:


    “I am a man without a country,” he wrote. “The numbers are in and you are found wanting. There is nothing left. It has been made void and without shape. I am a pilgrim in search of a new world.

    “All the scriptural code talk aside (you know Daniel 5, Genesis 1 and Hebrews 11), the only difference between the Republican Party and the Democrat Party is the speed with which they will take us to hell. The brakes are off – full speed ahead.”

    Read more: http://projects.newsobserver.c…

    I would much rather see him blowing his money taking on Kissell than contributing it to some other GOP nut who might actually win.

  4. He would’ve been the first independent on the ballot for Congress in North Carolina history.

  5. Kissell’s reelection isn’t a guaranteeded thing even in 1-1 race now (after Republicans picked relatively sane candidate in runoff), it would be even more problematic with Fant candidacy

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