美国国家公共电台 NPR--North Carolina fields competitive Senate race despite lack of national attention

North Carolina fields competitive Senate race despite lack of national attention

Transcript¹

At a late-1800s farmhouse² in the heart of North Carolina, national Republicans made an urgent pitch to voters in the final days of October as they gathered for an evening barbecue.

"We win by voting," said Florida Sen. Rick Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "And we win by getting everybody to vote."

"Are you ready to take back your country?" asked Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. "Have you had enough of being called every name in the book? Racist³, hater, insurrectionist?"

"Are you ready to fire [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer?" echoed Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. "So am I."

These high-profile campaign surrogates recently gathered on in Mocksville, N.C., on the state's first day of early voting for one reason: get House Republican Rep. Ted⁴ Budd elected into the U.S. Senate.

Recent history is on their side. The battleground state has not elected a Democrat⁵ to the U.S. Senate for more than a decade. Plus, former President Trump⁶ endorsed⁷ Budd early in the race.

Now though, the GOP is facing one of its closest Senate contests in the country. The historic Democratic nomination⁸ of Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme⁹ Court, has boosted supporters' hopes of turning the seat blue. Beasley has also put up strong polling numbers, trailing Budd but within the margin¹⁰ of error in some polls.

That, and lower-than-expected campaign funding for the race, have some dubbing¹¹ it a "sleeper¹² race."

Professor Michael Bitzer of Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., says the race is not drawing as much money or buzz as Senate races in Georgia, Pennsylvania or elsewhere.

"North Carolina is always a strong, competitive state, and I think that that's going to play out again this year," Bitzer said.

Bitzer explained in a race of this caliber¹³, the candidates might have drawn¹⁴ $200 million or more in spending. However, he projects the total this year for the Senate election could be half of that or less.

"[There's] not a whole lot of attention in terms of things like money coming in, but I think certainly we're going to have that level of competitiveness yet again," Bitzer predicted.

The race has been rated "lean Republican" by Cook Political Report.

Both parties are also facing more registered unaffiliated voters this year, versus¹⁵ registration¹⁶ by Republicans or Democrats¹⁷.

Republicans hope to capitalize on voter frustration¹⁸

Back at the barbecue in Mocksville, N.C., Budd says he is overwhelmed by the applause for his campaign surrogates and other supporters.

"Playing football in Davie County, when I ran a couple of good blocks, nobody ever cheered that hard, y'all," Budd joked with a friendly crowd. "This is great to be home, growing up on a farm just a few minutes from here, seeing a lot of friends that we spent almost all of our lives together."

Budd said he is hearing from energized¹⁹ Republican voters who are fed up with President Biden's policies.

"People are furious right now about three, three main things," Budd told NPR. "It depends on how you divide it: It's inflation, it's crime, and it's education."

At a GOP campaign stop in Greensboro, N.C., Budd supporter Robin²⁰ Bunting agreed. She said she is going out to eat less and has cut back on groceries, such as buying meat only when it is on sale.

"I feel like I'm very fortunate, but we still make choices, you know and cut back," Bunting said. "It's bad and we need a change."

Republicans are also using fear tactics to get Republican voters motivated, said Bitzer, the politics professor. But some of those claims are largely false or misleading.

"How about allowing men to play in women's sports? I mean we got Title IX so women can have sports and have some success. And now we're going to let men play women's sports? Democrats did that," Sen. Scott told the crowd at a stop in Greensboro.

Another misleading claim shared by Scott and others: Democrats support abortions²² "up until the moment of birth." It's now a common refrain for Republican candidates across the country.

"This is a classic kind of campaign strategy nowadays in American politics. It's fear and threats that really motivate people to show up to vote," Bitzer said. "I think what Republicans are trying to do is to frame the issue in the most extreme approach, and say this is what you will get if you elect Democrats."

Democrats hope voters feel a sense of urgency

Democrats are hoping for a different kind of change: to take a seat held for more than a decade by the GOP, most recently by retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr, and turn it blue.

Beasley, the former chief justice of North Carolina's Supreme Court who's now running for Senate, is angling for an upset.

"People really are excited about this race. They understand the sense of urgency around it," Beasley said at a recent Democratic event in Charlotte.

Beasley is the first African American woman nominated for the role. That has energized a key demographic — Black voters.

To reach that critical constituency, Beasley is meeting voters at churches around the state. She has also been boosted by a "souls to the polls" effort to get church goers to ballot²³ box.

"There's a lot of power in the church," Beasley recently told religious leaders at meeting at the Little Rock African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Charlotte. "I grew up in the church. My husband grew up in the church. Our sons grew up in the church. And y'all know, it is not just our religious center. It is our social center and it is our political center."

At this event, Beasley had a powerful surrogate in House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn. Clyburn played a key role in turning the momentum²⁴ in Biden's direction in the runup to the 2020 election.

"This election is the most consequential²⁵ election of any of our lifetimes!" Clyburn called out.

The South Carolina Democrat argues Republicans are fighting to whitewash²⁶ education by erasing²⁷ Black history from schools, curtailing²⁸ voting and restricting reproductive rights.

"We've got to get real! We cannot sit idly by!" Clyburn implored²⁹.

But even after abortion²¹ rights energized Democratic voters this past summer, Beasley knows inflation is a top priority now.

"People want to know that I'm going to get to the Senate and I'm going to address the rising costs," Beasley told NPR. "People are feeling everything from pain at the pump to the cost of prescription³⁰ drugs and everything in between."

It's all a numbers game

Bitzer, the politics professor, says both campaigns are making political calculations.

He notes Beasley has not appeared on the campaign trail with Biden, who's facing low approval ratings. Meanwhile, the Budd campaign does not often mention Trump during public speeches at campaign stops.

"That's a key dynamic that Republicans do not need in these last few weeks of the election, is to have Donald Trump on the ballot. They want Joe Biden on the ballot," Bitzer said.

"If Trump is on the ballot, that not only energizes³¹ Republicans, but it also energizes Democrats because they don't want another Donald Trump clone to be in Congress," he explained.

Turnout will be critical in a midterm race that typically draws fewer voters than presidential election years.

Bitzer says even in a race that leans Republican, Black voters could be key to a Beasley upset.

"They need that coalition³² to come out and perform almost at historic levels for a midterm in order to be competitive," Bitzer said.

At the GOP event in Greensboro, McDaniel, the RNC chair, said North Carolina has showed strong numbers for registered Republicans since 2020. That year, Sen. Thom Tillis was reelected in a costly³³ run for both parties.

Still, McDaniel acknowledges the state is not a slam dunk for Republicans, and the party is closely watching the Senate contest as well as other critical statewide races, including House races and open seats on the state's supreme court.

"I think North Carolina is a purple state, but I do think we've seen some really good trends for the Republican Party," McDaniel said. "So this is a state that can be instrumental in a lot of different ways."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

3 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

4 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

7 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

11 dubbing   

n.配音v.给…起绰号( dub的现在分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• There are mainly two forms of film translation: dubbing and subtitling. 电影翻译通常主要表现为两种形式：配音和字幕翻译。 来自互联网
• Its auspices, dubbing the program has won national awards in China. 其主持配音的节目多次获得中国全国奖项。 来自互联网

12 sleeper   

n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺

参考例句：

• I usually go up to London on the sleeper. 我一般都乘卧车去伦敦。
• But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. 但首先他解释说自己睡觉很沉。

13 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

14 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

15 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

16 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

17 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

19 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

20 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

21 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

22 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

23 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

24 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

25 consequential   

adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的

参考例句：

• She was injured and suffered a consequential loss of earnings.她受了伤因而收入受损。
• This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。

26 whitewash   

v.粉刷，掩饰；n.石灰水，粉刷，掩饰

参考例句：

• They tried hard to whitewash themselves.他们力图粉饰自己。
• What he said was a load of whitewash.他所说的是一大堆粉饰之词。

27 erasing   

v.擦掉( erase的现在分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He was like a sponge, erasing the past, soaking up the future. 他象一块海绵，挤出过去，吸进未来。 来自辞典例句
• Suddenly, fear overtook longing, erasing memories. 突然，恐惧淹没了渴望，泯灭了回忆。 来自辞典例句

28 curtailing   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They will be curtailing the discussions at two thirty. 他们将把讨论缩短至两点半。 来自互联网
• Individually, banks are acting rationally by retaining their capital and curtailing lending. 此外，银行们正在合理地保留其资本和减少贷款。 来自互联网

29 implored   

恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She implored him to stay. 她恳求他留下。
• She implored him with tears in her eyes to forgive her. 她含泪哀求他原谅她。

30 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

31 energizes   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的第三人称单数 )；使通电

参考例句：

• However, heating energizes the vibrational, rotational, and electronic motions all at once. 但是，加热会一下子把振动、转动和电子运动统统加强。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
• Purpose always produces passion. Nothing energizes like a clear purpose. 目的往往会带来热忱，没有任何东西比清晰的目的更有动力。 来自互联网

32 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

33 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。