Well, the honest answer to that question is “probably not”,
and in the grand scheme of things we should all be glad that’s likely not the
case. With global crises like Ebola,
ISIS, and a potentially sputtering world economy to put things in perspective,
it is surely a good thing for the order of the cosmos that control of the upper
chamber in the US Congress is not solely dependent on the outcome of what happens
with 26 miles of interstate through the Lake Norman area.
As was mentioned here two weeks ago, events elsewhere in the
country took this race off the critical path for the Republicans some time
ago. Even though the race between Tillis
and Hagan has tightened in the past two weeks, North Carolina now looks like it
will be a bonus seat if the Republicans take over the Senate rather than the
critical linchpin it was at the beginning of this election cycle.
None of that however changes the fact that the I77 HOT Lanes
issue could still be critical in the outcome of the contest here in North
Carolina. In a contest like this where
every vote counts, any issue that sways a few thousand votes one way or the
other could be the difference.
In the case of the HOT Lanes, the credit (or blame) for
making that difference goes to the WidenI77 activist group. Led by Cornelius resident, Kurt Naas, along
with several other dedicated volunteers, this group has been relentless in
getting out their message about preventing tolls. Recently, they have been cranking up the
volume. WidenI77.org signs have been
popping up in North Mecklenburg at prominent intersections. One was seen recently floating near the Exit
30 causeway on Lake Norman during Friday afternoon rush hour¸ and this past
Saturday one of those signs along with about two dozen protesters were outside
of a Thom Tillis campaign event at the Republican “victory center” on Catawba
Avenue in Cornelius.
Two dozen protesters may not sound like much, but if that is
what you focused on then you would be missing the point. That small number of protesters held signs
that said things like “honk if you oppose tolls”. Standing there for a few minutes, one got a
real sense for how this issue could impact this election.
The noise from those horns and the number of drivers honking
them said all you need to know.
Over a five minute period that Saturday evening a good 40% -
50% of passing cars honked. Some were a
quick beep-beep. Others gave a long
angry blast. Sometimes they came in
flurries where every passing car laid on the horn. At other moments it would be just one in a
group. There was also the person the
scooter giving the protesters a fist pump as he rode by. The most entertaining had to be the man on
his bicycle in full cycling regalia giving the protesters a thumbs up as he
pedaled past.
Assuming that not everyone who opposes tolls bothered to
honk, it was pretty clear in this incredibly unscientific poll that tolls are incredibly unpopular. That unpopularity could turn into consequences
on election-day.
Here’s why…
Mecklenburg and Iredell Counties have almost exactly 10% of
the State’s registered Republicans. They
also happen to be the two counties where residents will be the most familiar
with the tolling issue. Anything that
siphons off even a small percentage of those Republican votes from Thom Tillis
could throw a monkey wrench into his campaign’s efforts to overtake Kay Hagan.
That siphon could come in the form of former North
Mecklenburg legislator and conservative firebrand John Rhodes who is mounting a
write-in campaign for the US Senate. He
is a familiar name in conservative circles and has garnered a respectable level
of support among local tea party activists.
He is also opposed to tolls.
On the street last Saturday evening several of his
supporters were seen holding those signs encouraging people to honk. If enough of those honks turn into votes, it
could spell trouble for Team Tillis.
This post was originally published in the Herald Weekly
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