Staff report
Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s “Elizabus Tour” will land in Salisbury for a campaign rally at her state headquarters early Saturday evening.
The Dole re-election campaign is inviting the public to the Salisbury rally, scheduled from 5-6 p.m. at 401 E. Innes St., the corner of East Innes and South Long streets.
The rally will be held in the parking lot behind the headquarters.
Dole is locked in a tight U.S. Senate race with Democrat State Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro and Libertarian Christopher Cole.
nnn
Dan Barrett, the Davie County attorney running for N.C. Court of Appeals, has published a book about his travels across the state in 2004 when he was a Republican candidate for governor.
During that primary season, Barrett walked from the mountains to the coast, logging 582 miles. He says he wore out five pairs of shoes and lost 20 pounds.
Here’s a teaser from the back cover of the book:
“Relive with Dan his walk across the state, including a treacherous walk across the Hiawassee River, his sense of awe in gazing down from the Appalachian peaks, attacks by vicious dogs, personal tragedy and the first scent of sea air as he approaches the coast.”
Barrett has been chairman of the Davie County Board of Commissioners and the Davie County Hospital.
The 80-page paperback book, “A Million Steps: My Walk Across North Carolina,” is a quick read and is dedicated to the memory of his father, Donald Wallace Barrett, who died while his son was on the walk.
nnn
Dole has received the endorsement of MAF Freedom PAC, the political arm of Move America Forward, a self-described “pro-troop” organization.
Move America Forward has shipped more than 100 tons of care packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of an ongoing program.
Catherine Moy, the group’s executive director, praised Dole for a record of providing U.S. troops with “the tools they need, the benefits they deserve and for recognizing the successes they’ve achieved.
“Elizabeth Dole understands why it’s so critical not to abandon the American soldiers who are fighting to prevent further acts of terror on American soil. She will never turn her back on these brave men and women.”
nnn
The most recent Civitas Institute DecisionMaker Poll gives Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama a lead in North Carolina.
Democrat Hagan is ahead in the U.S. Senate race, and Bev Perdue and Pat McCrory are virtually tied in the gubernatorial contest.
Of 584 registered voters surveyed, 47 percent said they were voting for Obama, with an additional 1 percent leaning toward him. McCain was favored by 42 percent, with an extra 3 percent leaning his way.
Hagan was favored by 41 percent of the respondents, with an additional 2 percent leaning toward her. Republican Dole had support from 38 percent of those surveyed, with 3 percent more leaning toward her.
Libertarian Christopher Cole had support among 3 percent, with 1 percent also leaning his way.
In the governor’s race, Democrat Lt. Gov. Perdue had 41 percent support, with 2 percent leaning for her. McCrory, the Republican mayor of Charlotte, was favored by 40 percent, with an additional 3 percent leaning toward him.
Civitas Institute is a conservative N.C. think tank.