On July 1st Brad Miller will make a decision on whether or not to run for Senate.

There is a good chance that if you are reading this then you know I have been working towards a Brad Miller vs Liddy Dole race since January. In that time over $3000 has been donated from 65 different people.

In November of 06 we started talking about who could beat Dole. Then in January we started drafting Brad.

On April 12th Brad announced that he was thinking about running, and on that day a poll was taken that showed Brad was down to Dole 44 to 33.

Since then it has largely been a waiting game for us, but Brad has been very busy.

Since becoming a member of the majority, Brad has been working incredibly hard on our behalf. He has made local, national and international headlines with his work in the US House.

Public Policy Polling is out with another poll. This one is huge, with a lot of results for us to talk about.

But, before I dive into details, check out this quick insert from the Indy Weekly of the Triangle:

Our tracking signals indicate that Dole rarely travels to North Carolina, whereas Miller seems to be in perpetual campaign motion there. And Republicans like Dole are out of favor for sticking so close to President Bush, are they not? We thus conclude that Miller would beat Dole like a tympanic skin—a drum, I believe you call it.

Ok, now that I have your attention, to the poll. This poll (link at bottom) consisted of 800 likely voters pulled from the voter rolls.

First, lets hit on the big and simple numbers.
Bush's approval in North Carolina is 37%, with 59% Disapproval.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Miller has stepped up his exploratory effort in recent days as he nears a self-imposed deadline of July 1 to decide whether to take on Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008.

Last week, Miller and his wife, Esther Hall, met for more than an hour with New York Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

All of this is from the News and Observer

I do not have too much more to say, other than, we are approaching a decision. The article mentions that Brad talked to members of the trial lawyer's academy to talk money. So, keep your fingers crossed.

More info is available at draftbradmiller.org

In North Carolina we have a problem. While we control the State House and State Senate, we have some Democrats who are closer to Republicans than anything else. When you are conservative on social matters, and a moderate on economic issues, I dont know what else to call someone besides a DINO.

Personally I dont really want to spend time worrying about which Democrats deserve to be primaried and which dont. I think that process is often counter productive.

However, we need more Progressive Democrats, and we need to give some allies to the friends that we have in the General Assembly. So, walk with me as I take a look at some districts worthy of attention.

I am not going to talk about incumbent Democrats this time through. However, I will say that a few incumbents might be retiring, leaving us with a bunch of good opportunities. More on that as information is available. This diary is just about Senate Republican Incumbents.

Let me give you a little bit of background about me, and my family.

Politics is big in my family. My Great Uncle (may he rest in peace) spent time when he lived outside Chicago on a county board. He later moved to DC, where he spent time inside Johnson's (I think) administration, where he was pretty high up in the Dept. of the Interior. He had a big hand in helping to write and pass the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

My Uncle spent almost 20 years in New York City organizing unions and "fighting the good fight".

My family is no stranger to politics. So, when I took an interest at a young age, my mom was not surprised.

My mom has always encouraged my beliefs, while having her own views. She is often too busy to read the paper until 9 or 10 pm, but she reads it every day, she watches the local news at 6 am and 11 pm, and she votes in every election, rain or shine, small or large.