North Carolina Senate   Richard Burr (R) defeated Erskine Bowles (D)  • LATEST POLLS    • CAMPAIGN ADS    • NEWS FROM HOTLINE    • CANDIDATE LINKS    • ELECTION RESULTS    • ALL SENATE TIP SHEETS

Rep. Richard Burr (R) denied 2002 Senate nominee Erskine Bowles (D) an open seat for a second time, 52 percent to 47 percent, in the race to replace retiring Sen. John Edwards (D). Bowles previously lost to Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

  • On The Trail Rank: 6 of 34 (Analysis)
  • Cook Rating: Toss Up (Analysis)
  • Filing Deadline: May 7, 2004
  • Primary Date: July 20, 2004
  • 1998 Results: John Edwards (D) won
    his first term with 51 percent of the vote.

Poll Track

For more numbers on this race, see Poll Track.

LATEST POLL

Bowles (D)
Burr (R)
A Mason-Dixon poll; conducted 10/25-26/04 for the Asheville Citizen-Times; surveyed 625 likely voters; margin of error +/-4% (Citizen-Times, 10/29).

Campaign Ads

Search the archives for all 2004 campaign commercials in Ad Spotlight.

• Burr Ignores Bowles' Proposal, Goes Negative (Sept. 21, 2004)
  
• Competitive Senate Races On The Air (July 22, 2004)
  
• GOP Hopefuls On Air Across North Carolina (July 20, 2004)
  
• Southern Senate Candidates Share Bios (July 8, 2004)
  
• Bowles Goes After Legislative Pork (June 25, 2004)
  
• Tarheel Senate Ads Get Down To Business (June 10, 2004)
  

News From Hotline

For more headlines on this race and other contests, see News Search.

LATEST HEADLINES


Search the Hotline archives for all coverage:
Advanced Search

Field Of Candidates

The Democratic candidate for this race is:

ERSKINE BOWLES (D) -- Investment banker; former Clinton chief of staff; 2002 nominee   • Campaign Web site

The Republican candidate for this race is:

REP. RICHARD BURR (R) -- 5th District congressman   • Campaign Web site   • Official Web site   • Almanac profile

Election Results

2004 General	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	Richard Burr (R)	1,742,182	52%	N/A
	Erskine Bowles (D)	1,586,968	47%	N/A
	Other	46,906	1%	N/A
2004 (D) Primary	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	Erskine Bowles (D)	Unopposed	---	N/A
2004 (R) Primary	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	Richard Burr (R)	293,922	88%	N/A
	John Hendrix (R)	24,930	7%	N/A
	Albert Wiley (R)	14,297	4%	N/A
1998 General	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	John Edwards (D)	1,029,237	51%	$8,331,382
	Lauch Faircloth (R)	945,943	47%	$9,375,771
	Other	36,963	2%	N/A
1998 Primary	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	John Edwards (D)	277,468	51%	N/A
	D. G. Martin (D)	149,049	28%	N/A
	Ella Scarborough (D)	55,486	10%	N/A
	Robert Ayers Jr. (D)	22,477	4%	N/A
	Other	35,551	7%	N/A
1992 General	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	Lauch Faircloth (R)	1,297,892	50%	$2,952,102
	Terry Sanford (D)	1,194,015	46%	$2,486,380
	Other	85,984	3%	N/A

Cook Report Analysis

(Note: Analysis was published in October 2004 and does not reflect events that occurred after that date)

In the Tar Heel state, where Democratic Sen. John Edwards is vacating his seat, businessman Erskine Bowles is taking a second shot at the Senate. He was the state's Democratic Senate nominee in 2002, but got just 45 percent of the vote against Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole. Bowles, who was chief of staff in the Clinton White House, has proven to be a much better candidate this time and seems more in control of his message.

The Republican nominee is Rep. Richard Burr, who is one of his party's strongest fundraisers in this election cycle. His problems have been to make himself known beyond his 5th District and to make the leap from House incumbent to statewide challenger. Insiders contend that he has been ceding too much control of his campaign to aides. As the campaign has progressed, though, Burr seems to be getting a handle on all three of these difficulties.

Talk of trade and job creation has dominated the race. Both candidates have records as free-trade proponents; both, however, have adopted more-protectionist views in recent years, as their state has hemorrhaged jobs in the textile and furniture industries.

Bowles is running as an independent voice who would work with both parties to get things done for North Carolina. Burr is touting his record in Congress and is emphasizing his service on the Intelligence Committee and his efforts to improve health care. Burr is also trying to link Bowles to his former boss, airing television ads that fault Bowles for helping Clinton push through special trade status for China and for raising taxes.

A tobacco-buyout plan that would end the decades-old federal quota system for tobacco farmers has also played a major role in the race. Bowles tried to demonstrate his influence by lobbying Democratic senators to support the legislation. He also accused Burr of not doing enough to ensure its passage. Burr, though, ended up on the conference committee formed to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the corporate tax bill that included the tobacco measure.

In the end, the wishes of the House -- a $10 billion buyout plan that does not include giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco -- won out over the Senate's wishes for additional funding and the FDA provision. Politically, the result is a net plus for Burr and may help him attract voters in the all-important eastern part of the state.

Bowles, whose name is better known than Burr's, held a lead of about 10 points for much of this contest. Now that Burr has introduced himself to the state's voters and attacked Bowles, the race has closed considerably and is within the margin of error.