By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
As the Libertarian candidate in the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina, Christopher Cole laughs every time he sees a television ad from his opponents.
The more Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Democrat Kay Hagan run negative adds against each other, Cole says, the more he benefits and the higher his vote percentage will be Election Day.
Dole talks about Hagan’s budget-writing role in the growth of state government, and Hagan speaks about Dole’s part in increasing the federal deficit and giving tax breaks to oil companies.
“I would say they’re both right, and you shouldn’t vote for either one,” Cole says.
The line at the bottom of the Dole and Hagan ads shouldn’t acknowledge who paid for them, Cole says. Rather, they should announce, “For the benefit of Chris Cole’s campaign,” he says.
Cole thinks he could be the spoiler in what looks to be a tight race between Dole and Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro.
Cole says the highest percentage of votes a Libertarian received in a statewide race was 4.4 percent in the 1992 gubernatorial contest. Polls show him with 6 to 7 percent of the vote, he says.
“That would be a record for any third party candidate since George Wallace,” he says.
A postal contract worker, Cole has run (and lost) as a Libertarian seven times and as a non-partisan town board candidate in Huntersville once (in 2007).
Since 1996, the offices he has tried for as a Libertarian have included the N.C. House, Mecklenburg County commissioner, Charlotte City Council (twice), U.S. House (twice) and lieutenant governor.
In this run for the U.S. Senate, Cole has spent virtually nothing. Michael Munger, the Libertarian candidate for governor, even paid his filing fee. Cole has concentrated mostly on sending bi-weekly issue statements to 150 people on his media contact list.
Cole says campaigning and raising money are difficult because he has to work for a living.
But he predicts the money flow to candidates like him will change dramatically the day a Libertarian is elected to Congress.
Cole says he has been a Libertarian since before he could vote.
On the economy, Cole complains that in a matter of three weeks, the federal government added $4 trillion to the national debt just through its various bailouts.
“That’s going to be $1,300 for every man, woman and child that we’re going to have to pay for, not counting interest,” Cole says. “That’s the economically scary thing.”
Cole wants to eliminate the federal income tax and put a cap on federal spending at its current level.
He opposes the U.S. presence in Iraq and carries the Libertarian banner for freedom and smaller government on most issues.
Some of his views on the economy, Iraq, illegal immigration, health care and energy are included in the accompanying box on the U.S. Senate race.