The lessons of Campaign '08 were not lost on Sen. Kay Hagan, the Democrat who turned Republican Elizabeth Dole out of office after one term. One thing that worked against Dole was the impression -- right or wrong -- that she had not spent much time in North Carolina. That was one of the themes Democrats used against Dole, once a highly popular senator whose standing with voters dropped by the time her re-election campaign rolled around.
Friday, Hagan's office sent out a news release with this pointed headline, emphasizing her ties to the state:
SENATOR HAGAN BACK IN NORTH CAROLINA FOR RECESS WEEK
Meets with constituents, talks to BioTech Community, Tours Industries of the Blind, “Ready-to-Go” Infrastructure Project, Ft. Bragg
U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) will return to North Carolina next week while the U.S. Senate stands in recess after Presidents’ Day. In addition to continuing work on setting up her new state offices, Senator Hagan will attend several public events across the state and meet with constituents.
The news release went on to describe the events she'd take part in while in the state.
Not much sublety about this. Hagan is making sure folks know she's back home when the Senate is in recess. And if she does run for re-election in 2014, she surely wants to make sure she doesn't have that "never comes home" problem that contributed to Dole's defeat.
