Senator Carr Fights For Political Life

Incumbent senator facing tough primary challenge from fellow Nationalist


BELLOCK, KALNIER--The 2010 election is expected to be a tough year for the Conservative Party, but some Nationalist members of Congress are having a difficult time navigating through tough primaries this year, as voters are not only expressing an anti-CNS sentiment, but also an anti-incumbent sentiment.

Chief among the "endangered Nationalists," as the media has dubbed them, is Kalnier Senator Mark Carr, who has struggled with low approval ratings since he first won office in a special election two years ago.

Though he's voted with his party on most major issues, Carr has maintained a much lower profile than Kalnier's other senators, and has been called by the Lamberth Regent newspaper "one of the most ineffective members of the Senate."

But the main reason for Carr's lack of likeability is his lack of visibility, says political scientist Dr. Tod Zucker, of McGrath University in Tawson, Kalnier.

"Mark Carr is never visible. He's never on TV, he's never in the newspaper. You don't hear a lot about him. And that's part of the reason he's not very popular, because no one knows who he is or what he's doing in Mavocke," Zucker said. "My guess is that the majority of Kalnierans don't know who he is."

And Carr's absence from the public sphere is primarily why national party leaders recruited a candidate to run against him in the NAT primary, which will be held tomorrow.

Korean War veteran, author, and state Senator Robert Frost (N-Brookleigh) initially declined to challenge Carr in the primary, but was persuaded after national party leaders made a visit to his central Kalnier home.

"Mark Carr is a nice man, but I look at what he's done and what he hasn't done, and it just doesn't add up," Frost says. "The people of Kalnier want someone who will accurately represent who they are and what they believe. And I don't believe Senator Carr is doing a good enough job of representing Kalnier."

Carr's campaign responded by pointing out the senator's work on legislation, including a bill, which has not yet been voted on, that would place more restrictrictions on child predators and pedophiles. Carr also highlighted his work on a bill that would provide a high-speed rail link from the northern Grassadellia-East Woodward border to the southern Grassadellia-Tundra border.

"Whether it's the economy, transportation, the environment, or protecting our children from criminals, Mark Carr has asked the people of Kalnier what is important to them, and he has listened," Seth Weatherbee, Carr's deputy campaign chief told the GBC.

While Carr may be unpopular in many circles of the state NAT party, Mr. Frost, who shares his name with the famed American poet Robert Frost, lacks the finances Carr has secured for his re-election bid. Frost also has a sizeable age gap in his support, with recent polls showing his support surging among older voters and senior citizens, but plummeting among younger and middle-aged voters.

Despite his money advantage, Senator Carr is considered highly vulnerable, and could be defeated by the much-more-senior Frost, who is some 25 years older than Carr. Frost appears to have the party establishment behind him, but the primary election will determine the nominee, not the choice of national party leaders. And with a high-profile primary in the race for governor between former Governor Al McHugh and state Senator Karen DeSalle, it's unclear which candidate will have the advantage.

A pre-election poll showed Carr receiving most of his support from western Kalnier and in the northern mountains region, including the city of Kirschner, while Frost appears to have most of his support concentrated in the south and central portions of the state. Both candidates are about even in the Lamberth area, which will be crucial to the final vote tally.

If Carr loses, he will be the first incumbent senator of the 2010 election cycle to lose his party's endorsement in what is shaping up to be a difficult election for both political parties.