A challenger for Dole
From our friends at the Associated Press:
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A Chapel Hill investment banker plans to seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Elizabeth Dole.A spokeswoman for Jim Neal says he plans to file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission late Thursday to get his campaign started.
Neal is the first announced candidate to seek the party's nomination. Two members of the state General Assembly also are considering whether to run but have not announced their intentions.
Many Democrats consider Dole vulnerable for re-election next year because of her support for the war in Iraq and a poor showing by Republicans when she led the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the 2006 elections.
But several high-profile candidates - including Gov. Mike Easley, Attorney General Roy Cooper and U.S. Rep. Brad Miller - have declined to get in the race.