Here’s a brief run down of who I think are the top Democrats with statewide potential. Not all of these names are running for Senate but these are basically all of the big names who have been talked about as candidates.
Senator Jeff Jackson: Seen as the heir-apparent to this seat, Jackson is a popular state senator from Charlotte who has a massive statewide fundraising effort. Jackson campaigned across the state this year for other legislative candidates, presumably to build his name ID. He’s a vet, a former prosecutor, and looks like he’s been building for this run for a long time. Jackson’s negatives are that he’s seen as a bit of a “polished golden boy” by some in the party, and that he’s never faced a competitive race being appointed to his senate seat in a safe blue district.
Fmr. Secretary Anthony Foxx: Former mayor of Charlotte and Obama’s Transportation Secretary. Foxx would be a good candidate but he accepted a job at Lyft a month or so ago, not something he’d do if he was planning on running.
Rep. Brian Turner: Little known state rep from Asheville in the Western part of the state. Turner is a great fundraiser and has ran some incredibly tight races. He won his seat against a powerful Republican incumbent in the red year of 2014 in a district that had voted by almost 20 points for the Republican gubernatorial candidate two years earlier. Turner consistently wins district that’s redder than the state as a whole.
Fmr. Senator John Edwards: John Edwards is probably the strongest can... I can’t write this without laughing, Edwards will not be the nominee unless every other democrat in North Carolina dies. Edwards won’t run, Edwards would lose the primary in an embarrassing land slide if he decided to run. Edwards is not and will not run.
AG. Josh Stein: Incumbent attorney general, all signs point to him running for re-Election and then governor in 2024.
Gov. Roy Cooper: He’s running for re-Election, slight chance he runs in 2022 but no chance he runs this year.
Commissioner Trevor Fuller: Former Chair of the Mecklenburg County Commission, he might be running. Mecklenburg County is the largest in the state and home of the largest city. With Foxx probably out he will most likely be the only non-white male candidate in the race.
Rep. Chaz Beasley: Young African American state House member from Charlotte, he would be a good candidate but NC Insider was reporting he’s running for Lt. Gov.
Sen. Terry Van Duyn: State Senator and minority whip from Asheville, could’ve been a good appeal to suburban white women but running for Lt. Gov instead.
Fmr. Sen. Cal Cunningham: Former state senator and US Senate candidate in 2010. He’s a member of the national guard but he’s running for Lt. Gov.
Basically NC has a pretty deep bench the problem is that they’re almost all white men. Thanks to big wins this year in Wake (Raleigh) and Mecklenburg (Charlotte) counties the party now has a lot more young and diverse elected officials, but all of them are too fresh for a statewide race seeing as they haven’t even been sworn in yet. There are plenty of strong candidates on this list and almost any of them would be able to knock off Tillis.
What about Heath Shuler? I'm a Trump supporter but I'd be willing to vote for a Blue Dog like him. He'd have trouble in the primary but could win a general election.
