Republican Party predicting easy victory

Monday, November 01, 2010

Tags:

local/state

It's not just in the nation's capital where Republicans are poised to make substantial gains.

The GOP may be on the verge of claiming complete control of the General Assembly for the first time in more than a hundred years.

Republicans need to take over at least nine seats in the House and six in the Senate for a complete takeover.

The Republican Party is predicting an easy victory. However, Democrats say voters won't see the Republican tide roll through North Carolina as is expected in other states.

In the meantime, both sides are working to win.

At the state GOP headquarters the day before Election Day, so-called "Volunteers for Victory" were trying to help Republicans take over both the state House and Senate.

Democratic volunteers were working just as hard to woo their voters to the polls to not give up control.

Left leaning groups like the NC Justice Center say there is a lot at stake in this mid-term election.

"If conservatives take over the General Assembly, average North Carolinians will have fewer jobs available, they'll be paying more in loans and interest fees to the big banks and there will be fewer dollars available for us to educate our kids," said Jeff Smith with the NC Justice Center.

He says it's not just about Democrats keeping control.

"I think it's more important to keep the radical right out of power," Smith said.

"If the Republicans take over, it's a reaction to the radical left having been in charge," Executive Director of Civitas Francis DeLuca said.

Civitas is a group focused on conservative issues. DeLuca says North Carolinians aren't happy with the way things are going.

"North Carolina has been very uncompetitive in the job market witnessed by our higher than average unemployment for most of the last year and a half," DeLuca said. "I think that's the main thing at stake here."

If there is a Republican take over the big question is how they'll be able to work with Democratic Governor Bev Perdue.

"We're going to be in a situation where both sides are sort of thrust together and they can either work together to get things done or fight in gridlock and wait until 2012 to see how the 2012 election sorts things out." NC State Political Science Andrew Taylor said.

Republicans say voters will want to keep their eye on Cumberland County where they feel a long time Democratic delegation will be broken up. They're predicting they'll win three seats in the county.