Nesbitt elected Majority Leader (NC Spin)
Asheville`s Senator Martin Nesbitt was elected by the Democratic Caucus to become Majority Leader, replacing Tony Rand. To understand the implications of this election we need some history.
Martin Nesbitt grew up on politics. His mother, Mary Cordle Nesbitt served in the House until her death. Martin was appointed to fill his mother`s unexpired term in 1979, serving in the short session of 1980 and standing for his first election in 1981. Nesbitt was part of what many longtime observers believe was the brightest freshman class to come of the legislature in many decades. Their ranks included Dennis Wicker, who became Lieutenant Governor; Harry Payne, later Commissioner of Labor and chair of the Employment Security Commission; Bobby Hunter, who is a Supreme Court Justice and Joe Hackney, current Speaker. All were young and bright. All wanted to be Speaker. Two of them were.
Nesbitt was bright, ambitious and eager to learn the ways of the House. It didn`t hurt that his father-in-law was Billy Watkins, a legendary power broker and gamesman. With Watkins as a mentor, Nesbitt learned fast and moved ahead, adopting many of Billy`s hardball tactics and highly partisan arguments. Martin rose through the ranks to become chair of the Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful positions in the House. He was a key player in drafting the budget and negotiating with the Senate. In the process Nesbitt got bruised and bruised others to the point where few thought he could ever gain his goal of being Speaker. His fate was cast when he challenged Speaker Jim Black and fell out of favor. His further rise in power was stymied.
Fate stepped in when Senator Steve Metcalf resigned his post. Blocked in his quest for ultimate power in the House, Nesbitt sought and received the nomination of his district Democratic Executive Committee and he was appointed to the Senate in 2004, to the consternation of some Senators. They knew Martin`s reputation from the House, knew he wasn`t well liked, had heard of his partisan outbursts on the floor and his willingness to take on those in power. With only 50 members the Senate was more of a “Gentleman`s Club.” Even if Republicans were not treated equally they were treated with respect.
Martin Nesbitt is nothing if not a hard worker and he came to work. He gained respect, if not popularity, in the Senate and it was known he wanted to rise in the ranks. Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight`s ill health appeared to provide an opportunity for a future run for the Pro Tem`s job. Then fate stepped in again. Tony Rand mysteriously stepped aside as Majority Leader. Nesbitt was far from the most popular Democratic Senator but the bench of viable candidates was short. Dan Blue, while very popular, capable and charismatic, had only been appointed this year. David Hoyle is rumored to be retiring after this term. Dan Clodfelter had made far too many of his colleagues mad. A. B. Swindell was a good team player but dismissed by most for leadership.
Marc Basnight may be many things but no one will ever say he isn`t good at counting votes and knowing where his members are. It`s one of the major reasons he has stayed in power for so long. Even Republicans talk about how accessible and collegial Basnight can be. Marc seems to like the good-cop, bad-cop arrangement he has had for many years with Rand. It has worked well and Rand didn`t mind being the bad cop who had the support and backing of Basnight. Faced with the options we think Basnight had little choice but to select Nesbitt. Basnight sat him on the buggy, hitched up the horses, but Basnight kept the reins.
Who will Basnight assign as Rules chair? This has been a very powerful post under Rand, burial ground for many bills that never saw the light of day. Two names most frequently mentioned for the post are Clark Jenkins of Tarboro and David Hoyle of Gastonia. As stated before Hoyle is making noises that he won`t seek re-election. He lives in a largely Republican district and already knows the GOP is coming after him. One pundit remembered that the margin of Hoyle`s last election was thin and that there was a late-minute accusation against him that appeared to have traction.
Jenkins also has his problems. His district consists of a large minority population. He has had primary challenges but usually from two or more minorities. Word we get is that Frankie Bordeaux, a prominent and wealthy African American, wants the seat and can afford to finance a campaign. This could be trouble for the Tarboro Democrat.
What about the future? Nesbitt is known to be friends with Blue and there was speculation that the two of them would form a leadership team if Basnight wasn`t going to run in 2010. That appears problematic now: Basnight is not only telling people he`s running, he`s also raising money. But this isn`t a bad place for Martin to be in the interim. Can the tiger chance his stripes at age 63? Can he become everyone`s favorite Uncle Martin? Could he get enough support to become Pro Tem? Can Nesbitt and Blue come up with a winning solution to hold power? Some believe Blue might even become Pro Tem with Nesbitt being his strong number two. Time will tell.
In the meantime there is work to be done. The budget is already 90 million below projections for the first quarter of the fiscal year. Mental Health is a disaster waiting to happen. If the legislature doesn`t take action soon, court cases will force them to do so. At every turn there is another crisis awaiting this legislature and on top of it all there are the 2010 elections which, if current thinking continues, would favor Republicans. (Read My Spin “Would Republicans Rather Fight than Win in 2010?”) As has already been mentioned frequently, these elections are crucial because the next legislature will redraw districts and the party in power will have more sway in those decisions.
There is one conclusion that is inescapable. Power is shifting in this state and in the Senate. Nesbitt is not only a partisan Democrat but a staunch advocate for the West and urban centers. Population shifts will cause new legislative districts with fewer Eastern members. Urban areas will have more power and the long dominance of the East is likely coming to a close.
