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Dan Page's attempt to link Etheridge to the Clinton scandal continues,
and has since been copied by Republican challengers across the country.
In last week's congressional vote on impeachment hearings, Etheridge
sided with Republicans in authorizing an open- ended investigation,
a move some see as a direct response to Page's attack ads. So far, the
effectiveness of Page's advertisements remains unclear. A newly released
poll shows Etheridge with a 55 percent to 38 percent edge over Page,
with 6 percent undecided (WTVD poll of 500 likely voters, margin of
error 4.5 percent).
A tough fight for reelection.
Interestingly enough, only two years ago Etheridge was the candidate
attacking the values of a sitting incumbent. In 1996 the Etheridge campaign
flooded the television and radio airwaves with an ad highlighting Republican
incumbent David Funderburk's involvement in an automobile accident.
Playing off of eyewitness accounts that Funderburk had in fact been
driving, but switched seats with his wife before returning to the scene
of the incident, Etheridge implied that Funderburk's values, and overall
trustworthiness, were questionable.
Now, with the tables turned, Etheridge is in the position of defending
his values and character. However, Page's ads have an inherent weakness
that Etheridge has been taking advantage of. Instead of defending himself,
Etheridge needs only to establish his independence from Clinton's shadow.
By voting to proceed with the impeachment hearings, a vote which received
a great deal of coverage in the local media, Etheridge has taken a lot
of the punch out of Page's attack.
In short, Etheridge seems to be weathering the storm fairly well so
far. By comparison, David Price, the Democratic incumbent in the neighboring
4th district, voted for the Democratic altermative on the impeachment
vote and continues to face a barrage of advertisements from his opponent,
Tom Roberg, asking him to "take a stand" and represent North Carolina's
values. Next week, I will address how the latest round of court ordered
redistricting has affected the race, and how a stalemate in the state
legislature has served to benefit Democratic incumbents like Etheridge.
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