Some say decision will be over when state’s time to pick candidate arrives

By Karissa Minn

kminn@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — As South Carolina residents vote in a decisive presidential primary today, local Republicans are watching and waiting for their chance to weigh in.

Greg Edds, chairman of the Rowan County Republican Party, said North Carolina’s importance in the primary depends on how close the race is when the polls open here on May 8.

“If this becomes real competitive, and it continues on longer than what some have predicted, then North Carolina may be a huge battleground area for the primary,” Edds said.

But Michael Lambe, chairman of the Rowan Tea Party Patriots, said he doesn’t think that’s likely.

“I think it’s going to be chosen by that time and I won’t have a say,” Lambe said. “Like most Americans, I’d just like to have a say in who I’m voting for.”

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum are the leading candidates still in the running to take on Democratic President Barack Obama.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman, former U.S. ambassador to China, both dropped out of the race this past week.

The candidates collect pledges from party delegates depending on the results in each state. South Carolina is the first of several states where the primary winner takes all. Others, like North Carolina, split up the delegates proportionally.

Lambe said his top choices for the Republican nominee used to be U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Herman Cain, a businessman and former lobbyist, but they have dropped out of the race.

“I don’t know enough about Rick Santorum to put my full backing with him, but if the election were held today, I’d vote for him,” Lambe said. “He seems to have some of the same values and morals, and that’s something that’s lacking in political candidates right now.”

Edds said the local party typically doesn’t endorse candidates until after the primary season. He wouldn’t give his own pick for the national party’s nominee.

He said he satisfied with the current slate of candidates, and they all have “fantastic strengths.”

“Newt Gingrich is a guy that has certainly been unconventional and has just a tremendous amount of ideas — not just ideas, but big ideas,” Edds said. “We have big problems, and some people think we need big solutions.”

While Edds praised Romney’s business acumen, he called the candidate “a favorite of the establishment and even the media.”

Bill Graham, a Salisbury attorney and former GOP candidate for N.C. governor, said he believes Romney will become the Republican nominee, even if he doesn’t win today’s vote.

“The question is, who is here for the long run? Who can mount a viable campaign?” Graham said. “I think Romney would be best chief executive we could select and a worthy opponent for the president.”

Graham said he knows many North Carolina residents feel left out because the state’s primary election comes so late in the season.

“But some people may think that’s a good thing, because we’re not inundated with the political ads and some of the bickering that goes on,” Graham said.

Lambe said he’s already tired of the candidates’ back-and-forth fighting and gossip.

“I want someone who will sit up there and tell me what they’re really going to do and how they’re really going to do it,” he said. “I’d just like to have an honest person.”

But Graham said he thinks the debate has been healthy for the party.

“Whenever we’ve had these fervent debates before, we come out with a very good candidate who’s been well-vetted,” he said.

No matter who gets the nomination, Edds said he thinks Obama will be defeated in the Nov. 6 general election. He said conservatives don’t like Obama’s choices, he hasn’t accomplished much for liberals, and moderates likely were expecting him to be more centrist.

“Some say he can’t lose,” Edds said. “But I just don’t see how he can win.”

Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.

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