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U.S. Senate candidate campaigns in Concord
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Published: November 13, 2009
CONCORD — The race for the U.S. Senate came through Concord on Tuesday when Democratic candidate Kenneth Lewis spoke to the Cabarrus Senior Democrats.
Lewis, 48, an attorney from Chapel Hill, is running against Sen. Richard Burr. Lewis and Secretary of State Elanie Marshall are running for the Democratic nomination.
The event was a meet-and-greet for Lewis, who has been campaigning since the summer and officially kicked off his campaign last month.
He is going up against the Republican Burr, who is completing his first term as a senator. Before that, Burr was in the U.S. House of Representatives for 10 years.
Lewis didn't hold back when talking about Burr.
"Our senator has become the poster child for all the things that are wrong in Washington," Lewis said. "We were facing an economic crisis where everything was going to grind to a halt, and he was calling his wife asking to go to the ATM and withdraw money from the bank. I want to be a different kind of senator."
Lewis is not new to the political arena. He led finance operations for President Barack Obama in North Carolina and worked on the senatorial campaigns for former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt and current UNC President Erskine Bowles.
Lewis grew up in Winston-Salem, the son of a minister and a schoolteacher. He attended Duke University and Harvard Law School, then came back to North Carolina to work on community and small business issues.
He started his own law firm and has worked for two of the largest law firms in the state, Moore and Van Allen in Charlotte and Womble Carlyle in Research Triangle Park, where he currently works.
Lewis said he would use his experience to "make sure federal dollars are invested in 21st-century jobs in rural communities."
"That sort of work is not inevitable, that is a vision of the future," Lewis said. "I believe North Carolina can be a leader in green technology and biotechnology, and we need federal policies that enhance that in North Carolina."
Lewis said he is convinced he has something unique to offer the residents of North Carolina.
"Schoolteachers and factory workers, they are worried about the future of their kids," he said. "Farmers are concerned about how their communities will survive."
Lewis said his experience has been working with small business and community development.
"I know there are those who believe government should stay out of business," Lewis said. "I believe a smart government can create incentives for businesses to grow and innovate."
If he wins the Democratic primary in May, Lewis will face an uphill battle against Burr, who has a campaign war chest of about $3.4 million.
As of Sept. 30, Lewis' campaign reported raising $267,567 and has $184,449 on hand. In July, the campaign said in a release it was on track to raise $1 million by the end of the year.
Lewis may have more competition for the nomination.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been heavily courting Rep. Bob Etheridge, of Lillington, to run against Burr, the Raleigh News & Observer reported on Thursday. Etheridge has not announced a decision, but said he has told the senatorial committee his decision on whether to run.
This week, former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, of Lexington, announced he would not run against Burr. Former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker and former Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy are reportedly looking at running.
• Contact Web reporter Ben McNeely: 704-789-9131
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