Against all odds... [View All]

[emilyg]

No doubt about it, Hillary Clinton's odds remain long in North Carolina. Just ask Erskine Bowles, who lost two Senate bids because of his connection to the Clinton administration, or ask Bill Clinton himself who lost the state twice. Or better yet, just look at the demographics. Clinton has yet to win a state where African Americans comprise more than 30 percent of the electorate and blacks in North Carolina comprise 38 percent of registered Democrats.

Pundits have pretty much written off Hillary's chances in North Carolina. Until yesterday, Hillary might well have been Don Quixote lying on the side of the road, ravaged by windmills and gypsies. But in the last 24 hours, her campaign has unexpectedly been handed an olive branch, an endorsement, and a chance to change the odds.

According to veteran strategist Doug Heye, Gov. Mike Easley's (D) endorsement of Clinton is huge. To be sure, Easley is no Ed Rendell or Ted Strickland-- he does not have their powerful state organization -- but he is still popular with rural, white, blue-collar Democrats who Clinton has been targeting. "It's still uphill. But Governor Easley would not endorse a candidate he thought was going to lose," Heye said.

Make no mistake however, if speculation is correct Easley won't be the only big North Carolina name endorsing Clinton. In an MSNBC interview yesterday, Elizabeth Edwards

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nora-mcalvanah/against-all-odds_b_99522.html