North Carolina has a rich Republican history marked by such powerful figures as Senators Lauch Faircloth, Elizabeth Dole and Jesse Helms. With the presidential convention season approaching, state Republicans are ready to go again, visible and vocal about their support for President George W. Bush's re-election bid.
North Carolina Bush supporters seem especially to respect his stances on terrorism and social issues. The president, who has supported military intervention to root out terrorists and weapons of mass destruction and opposes abortion rights.
"I support Bush because of his moral stance on issues such as abortion, as well as because of his defense of this country and its people," Paul Manning of West Durham said.
Bush currently leads Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in North Carolina polls, and some Carolinians support Bush out of disdain for his opponents.
"[Kerry and running mate John Edwards] are trying to create a class war," said Raleigh native Ed Andrews, smoking a cigar at a small protest outside of a July 10 Kerry-Edwards rally. "I'm not worried about them changing anybody's mind in North Carolina at all."
Bush defeated Democratic nominee Al Gore in North Carolina en route to a victory in the hotly contested 2000 election, but the presence on the ticket of Edwards, a populist North Carolina senator, may swing his home state away from Bush. Still, some of the president's supporters remain unimpressed.
"They're using a traditional populist platform, which has never worked before," Andrews said. "They'll be able to motivate their core socialists; they won't be able to [motivate others.]"
Matt Sullivan contributed to this story.
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