For Democrats, ‘war on women’ message fails to motivate enough voters

Featured at The Washington Post

CHARLOTTE– What were midterm voters feeling? That would be concern about jobs and the economy and anxiety over Islamic terrorism and the Ebola virus creeping over American borders. A Democratic “war on women” message that helped Terry McAuliffe become Virginia’s governor in 2013 did not gain much traction with a 2014 electorate in a foul mood and ready to blame it on President Obama and a gridlocked Congress.

The gender gap was not wide enough to save Sen. Mark Udall in Colorado, Bruce Braley in Iowa or incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan in North Carolina. Astute and well-financed campaigns honed a Republican message that worked spectacularly. And women who did show up at the polls let it be known that they hardly walk in gender lockstep on issues of education, the economy and abortion and choice.

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Nov052014 TAGS: , ,

Election results: What’s next?

Featured at WCCB Rising


CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thom Tillis won North Carolina’s  U.S. Senate race against incumbent Kay Hagan, helping republicans claim a majority in Washington. President Obama is meeting with both parties Friday at the White House to discuss what happens next. Our WCCB Political Contributor, Mary C. Curtis, says Kay Hagan has a lot to overcome. She also says voters expressed that they want to see their government in control.

Read the rest atWCCB Rising
Nov052014

Election Night: 2014

Featured at Huff Post Live

Mary C. Curtis on how voting laws might affect midterms.

Read the rest atHuff Post Live
Nov042014

Election Day Preview in North Carolina

Featured at WCCB Rising


CHARLOTTE, NC- Political Contributor Mary Curtis provides insight into today’s election and why it’s one that controls the outcome of power in the U.S. Senate. The race between Incumbent Senator Kay Hagan and Speaker of the House Thom Tillis is the most expensive ever costing over $100 million. NC poll are open until 7:30pm and SC polls are open until 7pm.

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Nov042014 TAGS: , , ,

Are Democratic candidates who steer clear of Obama pushing away black voters?

Featured at The Washington Post

The third in a list of five myths about black voters by The Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson is: Candidates who distance themselves from President Obama risk losing black voters. That may be a myth, because African Americans in the United States lived with compromise before they could even vote, much less vote for a black candidate for the top office in the country. But in this year’s midterm election, the loyal-for-the-most-part Democrats may mark their ballots with weary resignation and some dissatisfaction.

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Oct302014 TAGS: , , , , , ,

NC Senate race, less than one week out

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, NC- Political Contributor Mary Curtis stops by to break down Senator Kay Hagan and House Speaker Thom Tillis’ last push less than one week before the election. She explains why last minute endorsements from celebrites like John McCain, Lindsay Graham and Hillary Clinton are so important and how people really feel about those television ads.

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Oct292014 TAGS: , , , ,

Hillary Clinton — politician and grandmom — plays to Kay Hagan’s base in North Carolina

Featured at The Washington Post

CHARLOTTE — Was it happy coincidence that Hillary Clinton’s granddaughter is called Charlotte? It certainly helped the former senator, former secretary of state, former first lady and perhaps future presidential candidate get the audience in the Charlotte Convention Center ballroom cheering with the line, “I can’t tell you how much we love the name.” Another grandmother, Kay Hagan, said, “What a name that was picked for her new grand-baby!” It was all to the point in a homey sort of way, framing the message of the day — family, women’s issues and equality and opportunity. During the wait before both took the stage, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” set a no-nonsense mood.

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Oct262014 TAGS: , , , , , ,

How Will The Ebola Crisis Affect the Election?

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Recent threats to national security could change how people vote at the polls this November. WCCB’s political contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in on how the Ebola crisis is influencing voters. Curtis says people have been fearing the Ebola threat more since it arrived in Dallas. Plus, Thom Tillis sat next to an empty seat during a state television program. Sen. Kay Hagan was invited, but declined to attend back in July.

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Oct222014 TAGS: , , ,

In North Carolina, same-sex marriage goes to church

Featured at The Washington Post

CHARLOTTE — Standing ovations, applause, the sounds of tambourines — and rainbow colors everywhere, on banners and flags and adorning the stoles around the shoulders of clergy celebrating the fact that same-sex marriage is now legal in North Carolina. In a city known for its churches, Holy Trinity Lutheran hosted an interfaith service that resembled a party, as a crowd of 250 – including many same-sex couples and their families — filled seats downstairs and in the balcony.

Though on Tuesday a federal judge said Republican state legislators had the right to challenge the ruling that said North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, on Monday night at Holy Trinity, the mood was joyous.

Read the rest atThe Washington Post
Oct162014 TAGS: , ,

It’s Never Boring in North Carolina

Featured at The New York Times

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LIVING in a purple state can be exhausting, but it’s never boring. What we lack in entertainment value — it would be hard to beat our southern neighbor, where Representative Mark Sanford recently broke up with the Argentine “soul mate” he’d had an extramarital affair with while he was governor — we make up for in unpredictability.

Read the rest atThe New York Times
Oct152014
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