Senate Race A Must-See Contest

Erskine Bowles, an investment banker from Charlotte, filed for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

Bowles joined Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and former Durham City Council leader Cynthia Brown, who have also filed for the race to succeed Jesse Helms, who is retiring after 30 years in office.

After filing, Bowles wasted no time in taking a quick jab at his likely opponent, ex-presidential candidate and former director of the American Red Cross, Elizabeth Dole.

As of Thursday, Dole had not yet filed for office.

Dole, a native of Salisbury, is hoping to gain Helms' seat after living outside of the state for almost four decades -- something Bowles is sure to emphasize repeatedly during the election.

"The folks I've met here want a senator who knows North Carolina, who has lived here, raised a family, paid taxes and started a business," he said.

That might be true. The past few years have been, at times, very trying for the state.

Almost three years since Hurricane Floyd ripped through North Carolina, residents in the eastern part of the state are still struggling to repair homes and communities damaged by the storm.

And the past two years have seen the state grapple with multimillion dollar budget deficits that have threatened to cut back on services at a time when residents might need them the most.

In their involvement in the state, Bowles, Brown and Marshall have seen firsthand the impact that these and other events have had on North Carolina.

So it is unlikely that showing voters that they are aware of the state's day-to-day comings and goings will be difficult.

Dole, on the other hand, faces a daunting task.

Will she be able to convince voters that, despite her absence from the state, she understands their concerns and is deserving of their vote? It's possible.

After all, 55 percent of N.Y. voters elected Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Senate in 2000. The former first lady had close to zilch connections with the state after having lived in Illinois, Connecticut, Maine and Arkansas before heading to the White House.

So should Dole manage to win the election and become North Carolina's first female senator, it would almost be like a fairy tale come true.

A hometown girl travels to Washington, makes a name for herself, then decides to come back home, runs for office and bring glory to the state.

Sounds peachy, right? Not exactly.

In order for Dole to win the election, she will have to rid herself of the carpetbagger image that Bowles and other Democrat hopefuls will likely try to pin on her throughout the election.

Dole will need to show that her close Washington ties will result in good news for the state. She also will need to emphasize her extensive record of public service, including stints as secretary of labor and secretary of state.

The task might get a little easier, thanks to a lift from President Bush.

Political pundits have predicted that Bush's high approval ratings since Sept. 11 could boost the campaigns of Republican incumbents and hopefuls. But even that might not be enough to coast Dole to victory.

Still, Bowles' election is no sure thing either.

After learning the ins and outs of Washington as White House Chief of Staff to President Clinton, Bowles is now trying to distance himself from his former boss, a la Al Gore in 2000.

Some said Gore's reluctance to ride Clinton's coattails might have been a factor in his defeat.

If that's the case, the same could happen to Bowles.

Plus, Bowles will have to contend with several other Democratic candidates who are just as eager as he is to replace Helms.

So as week one of campaign filing comes to an end, could the Senate race be the "must-see" event of the election season? Could be.

Who will come out victorious in the end? That's still up in the air.

But it's sure to be fun to watch.

Columnist April Bethea can be reached at adbethea@email.unc.edu.