Targeted Races

Dole (R-Sen-NC)

Map showing North Carolina Senate

 

‘08 Election Status:

Re-election

Incumbent:

Elizabeth Dole-R

Challengers:

Kay Hagan-D

Year Elected:

2002

2002 Election %:

54%

2008 Cook Rating:

Lean Republican

2008 Rothenberg Rating:

Toss Up (as of 9/14/08)

2004 Presidential Vote:

56%-44% Bush

Latino Population:

7%

% Latino Voting Population:

2%

Candidate Websites:

Elizabeth Dole
Kay Hagan

RESULT: Kay Hagan 53% - Elizabeth Dole 44% 

The Race:

S.A. Williams of the Washington Times put this year’s exciting U.S. Senate race in North Carolina into perspective: “Recent polls show [Elizabeth Dole’s Challenger Kay] Hagan in a dead heat with Mrs. Dole, an embarrassing showing for an incumbent who enjoyed a double-digit lead last month. A Rasmussen Reports survey showed Mrs. Hagan, a five-term state senator from Greensboro, edging out Mrs. Dole 48 percent to 47 percent. Both candidates drew strong support from their respective party bases, but Mrs. Dole was hurt by the dwindling number of self-identified Republican voters in North Carolina, historically a Republican stronghold… The polls confirmed North Carolina's place on a long list of states where once-safe Republican seats in the Senate are in jeopardy this year.” [Washington Times, 5/29/08] According to the Charlotte Observer, illegal immigration could become a “pivotal” issue in their race. In May 2008, Dole released a television ad which “touted her role in helping N.C. sheriffs crack down on illegal immigrants. It featur[ed] more than a dozen sheriffs praising her efforts.” The ad aired a day after Dole’s opponent, Kay Hagan, “discussed immigration with several sheriffs in Raleigh and raised questions about a program Dole has championed. [Charlotte Observer, 5/29/08] An ad put out by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee attacked Dole: "She can't fix gas prices from 93rd place or create jobs," a narrator says in the ad. "And she sure hasn't fixed immigration from 93rd place. Elizabeth Dole. After 40 years in Washington, not as effective as you might think.” [Charlotte Observer, 8/12/08]

Elizabeth DoleThe Dole Position:

ENFORCEMENT ONLY. During her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Dole has taken a hard-line immigration stance and opposed efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform. According to the Charlotte Observer, Dole helped defeat Bush’s immigration reform efforts, and disagreed with him on that issue. [Charlotte Observer, 5/7/08] In 2008, her campaign has featured the Senator’s work with the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to establish a partnership so that local sheriffs can help deport undocumented criminals. [Dole Campaign Press Release, 5/27/08] However, her office also said that Senator Dole: “does not support rounding up illegal immigrants in Alamance County and running them through the 287(g) program. ‘It's not practical,’ said Brian Nick, Dole's chief of staff. ‘It's not possible. It's not fundable and in many cases, how would you possibly monitor the abuse of civil rights and all kinds of other things.’” [Times-News, 8/9/08] Dole’s campaign website does not list an immigration position.

Kay HaganThe Hagan Position:

ENFORCEMENT PLUS. On her campaign website, Hagan features her position on illegal immigration. She states, “Illegal immigration is a threat to national security and our economy. During the last seven years, the current administration in Washington has failed. The rule of law has been eroded as the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. nearly doubled and enforcement activity fell. In the Senate, Kay will work towards a practical solution that is fair to taxpayers and addresses the problem at its roots: by strengthening the borders, enforcing and upgrading laws that crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, and eliminating the shadow economy that drives down wages and working conditions. If North Carolina’s farmers and seasonal businesses are having trouble finding the help they need, Kay would support the reform of guest-worker programs to ensure farmers and businesses are able to meet their needs legally and stay competitive while protecting American workers’ jobs.” [kayhagan.com, Accessed 5/30/08]



Obama : racial Barrier Falls in Decisive Victory

11/05/08 | New York Times | In North Carolina, Republicans said that the huge surge of African-Americans was one of the big factors that led to Senator Elizabeth Dole, a Republican, losing her re-election bid. Mr. Obama also did strikingly well among Hispanic voters; Mr. McCain did worse among those voters than Mr. Bush did in 2004. | Read the story

Hagan’s win key in expanding Dem power in Senate

11/05/08 | Associated Press | Kay Hagan's triumph over Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole dealt a debilitating blow to the GOP's place on Capitol Hill, further crippling the party's strength in a chamber it controlled just two years ago…It's not clear how Hagan's priorities will match up with those of her new Senate colleagues. She separated herself from them on a number of issues, declaring opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants, protesting the initial financial bailout package and supporting drilling both off the coast of North Carolina and in the wildlife refuge of Alaska. | Read the story

NC Senate race among nation’s closest, costliest

11/04/08 | Associated Press | Hagan, one of the leading budget-writers in the state Senate, has conservative tendencies that at times mirror those of her Republican opponent. Both candidate share an opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants and objected to the federal financial market bailout brokered between the Democratic-led Congress and the White House. | Read the story

Claims Department: Senate Race

11/02/08 | The News & Observer | In a new ad, Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan criticizes negative ads from Sen. Elizabeth Dole and notes her record on illegal immigration…ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: Several Republican efforts to make it impossible for illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses were stalled by Senate Democrats between 2000 and 2006. A provision in the 2001 budget made it slightly more difficult for illegal immigrants to get a license…Hagan voted for both bills, but she played only a supporting role in the process and did not intervene when earlier Republican measures were pushed aside. | Read the story

NC candidates on trail on early voting’s last day

11/02/08 | Associated Press State & Local Wire | 'We've been rocking and rolling through 30 counties, and I'm home,' Dole said to cheers outside of her state headquarters. She criticized Hagan for being indecisive on issues ranging from Iraq to the banking bailout to illegal immigration. 'My opponent has gone wobbly on the major issues of the day,' Dole said. 'You've got to say where you stand.'" | Read the story

Dole pays a visit to Wentworth

10/30/08 | News & Record | About 100 people attended the rally. Dole and her supporters spent about an hour touting her leadership and experience over that of her opponent, state Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat. Dole said Hagan had ‘gone wobbly’ on issues, refusing to take firm stances on illegal immigration, taxes and energy…On immigration, Dole said she is for securing the borders and enforcing the laws. She noted her work with North Carolina's sheriffs, in cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to identify and deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes. | Read the story

Immigration issue divides Dole, McCain

10/29/08 | NC News & Record | Dole was part of a group of senators that blocked a comprehensive immigration reform bill that included a path to citizenship for those here illegally.McCain sponsored that bill but has not come closer to Dole's position, saying that the United States needs to secure its borders before tackling other pieces of the immigration puzzle. | Read the story

Immigrants the new face of ‘real America’

10/28/08 | Politico.com | New Americans, the fastest-growing voting bloc, are naturalized immigrants, mostly Hispanic, and the U.S.-born children of immigrants since 1965, according to a recent report by the Immigration Policy Center. If political pollsters, campaign strategists, and civil rights and immigrants' advocates are correct, these newer citizens will shatter voting records next week…In North Carolina, Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole is fighting for political survival. | Read the story

Voterspeak; Questioning Hagan

10/28/08 | News & Record | Questions for state Sen. Kay Hagan: Phyllis Davis, 64, Republican: Q. "How do your views differ from those of Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for president?" A. "They do differ. One of the big ones is on drivers' licenses for illegal aliens," Hagan said. Hagan is referring to comments Obama made during primary debates that he would allow states to give drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants. Hagan says that should not be allowed. The issue has not been a major part of the presidential campaign but has become the subject of an ad by the National Republican Trust PAC in recent days. Differences on illegal immigration policy were one of the first major points of contention between Hagan and Dole.” | Read the story

She Elizabusts A Move

10/28/08 | The Hotline | Dole ‘is traveling across the state this week’ in her ‘Elizabus’ – ‘giving a summation on why voters should elect her to a second term. She is focusing on the power of incumbency as she tries to undercut Hagan's charge that Dole has been ineffective…She ‘lately has emphasized that voters shouldn't allow’ Dems to win 60 seats, warning they will raise taxes, make it easier for labor unions to organize and allow appointment of judges who will ‘legislate from the bench.’ Dole's ‘biggest applause comes when she mentions her efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants and demand an English-only policy in the U.S.’” | Read the story