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Progressive Asheville councilman Cecil Bothwell faces long odds
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Race
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| Contributor | Craverguy |
| Last Edited | Craverguy May 26, 2011 05:34pm |
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| Category | Profile |
| Author | Joel Burgess |
| News Date | Monday, May 2, 2011 01:25:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The voters who put him into office would call him progressive. For the ones who want him out, he's leftist, socialist even.
If only it were that easy to put a tag on Cecil Bothwell.
An Illinois native with no college degree but a background with “many of the benefits that accrue to white, middle-class citizens,” Bothwell will challenge U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler in the 11th Congressional District Democratic primary one year from now.
Even with voting 12 months away, the race gets attention now because it features men who are opposites, and who both have rising political careers.
“He's held office in the major city. He's gotten some press coverage,” Western Carolina University political science professor Gibbs Knotts said of Bothwell. “It would be interesting to see what kind of money he can raise. But he definitely starts out with a decent amount of name recognition.”
Bothwell acknowledges he's a long shot, but he said he believes he's got a chance if he can convince constituents of the conservative-leaning district that stretches from the foothills to the Tennessee border that they've got more in common with him than they might think.
For him, the message topping campaign posters will be this: “Vote bold.” |
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