In their effort to put more Senate races in play, Democrats have turned their attention to North Carolina and GOP incumbent Elizabeth Dole.
The Democratic nominee is state Sen. Kay Hagan, who took 60 percent of the vote in a five-way primary last week. While the party tried to recruit several candidates in the race before settling on Hagan, national Democratic strategists are enthusiastic about her chances and point to polling to bolster their case that Dole is vulnerable.
Democrats contend that Dole represents the status quo in Washington. They believe that Dole's resume--a senior aide in the Reagan White House, Secretary of both the Departments of Labor and Transportation, president of the American Red Cross, and one-time presidential candidate--that was such an asset to her in the 2002 campaign is now going to be a major liability in an election in which voters are demanding change.
Party operatives further argue that Dole does not spend enough time in the state, has a thin list of accomplishments, and is not waging an aggressive campaign, pointing to her campaign war chest
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