In next couple of months, numerous campaigns will develop in Rowan County, North Carolina, and the United States. Candidates will fight strenuously to obtain the trust, support, and votes of their potential constituents. And because of this, it is critical that voters who visit the polls on Election Day are well informed on who exactly they are voting for. This week, we will analyze what is probably the most anticipated, and one of the most important elections in the country for the 2014 election cycle. One of North Carolina’s Senate seats is up for grabs, and the winner will join Richard Burr (R-NC) in representing the Tar Heel State. Here are main candidates for the race:

Kay Hagan (D-NC) (I)
Kay Hagan defeated Salisbury native Elizabeth Dole in the Senate Election of 2008, riding on the political wave that saw numerous Democrats elected, along with President Barack Obama. After six years in office, the incumbent Senator is seeking reelection by portraying herself as an moderate candidate.
Her Viewpoints:
– Pro choice
– Supports economic stimulus
– Strong supporter of Obamacare
– Supports an increase to Minimum Wage

Thom Tillis (R-NC)
Thom Tillis is the current Speaker of the House for the North Carolina House of Representatives. At the helm of a chamber highly populated by Republicans, he has pushed numerous bills through the State’s Legislature to be reviewed and signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory. Tillis is promoting his candidacy as a positive change to Hagan’s voting record, which closely parallels the Obama Administration.
His Viewpoints:
– Repeal Obamacare
– Tax Reform, Lowering Income Tax
– Against Gun Control
– Pro-Life

The aspect of this race that makes it very interesting is the fact that neither candidate is leading the other by a significant margin. In fact, the majority of polls claim that the Hagan-Tillis matchup is a ‘toss-up”, which means that the election could possibly be decided by mere votes. As of the second week of September, Hagan leads Tillis in a Rasmussen Report Poll 45 to 39%, while a CBS News poll has Tillis leading Hagan 43 to 42%.

Dr. Michael Bitzer, Professor of Politics and Provost of Catawba College, provides analysis of the upcoming election: “By all accounts, this year’s mid-term elections should be a GOP banner year: the sixth year of a presidential administration with a president’s approval in the low 40s, incumbents who are facing an angry electorate who don’t even like their own congressman, let alone Congress as a whole, and Republican voters who are generally more enthusiastic in voting this fall than are Democrats. In addition, in North Carolina, registered Republicans will be thirty-seven percent of the electorate, when they are usually thirty-three percent in presidential election years. With that said, Kay Hagan has done very well in keeping this U.S. Senate race competitive, especially through the power of fundraising, while outside groups supporting her have kept the advertising blitz on-going against Republican Thom Tillis, who the Democrats have tied heavily to a very unpopular state legislature. What is also important is the campaign narrative of which do you hate more: Washington, and thus probably voting for Tillis, or Raleigh, and thus probably voting for Hagan. It is very likely that this race could be one of two or three key races that will decide which party controls the U.S. Senate, and even with Hagan opening up a bit of a lead in some recent polls, it will probably be very competitive going into November.”

Education, response to the ISIS terrorist group, and the opinion of the Obama Administration are further factors that can influence the race. Democrats are running on all cylinders to push for Hagan’s reelection, believing that a Hagan victory can keep the US Senate under Democratic control.

Republicans are confident that North Carolina voters, who have voted closely along the lines of the GOP since the Tea Party Movement of 2010, will stand behind Tillis as a positive alternative to Kay Hagan. The GOP also realizes that a Tillis win is critical for the Republicans to take back the Senate. Without a doubt, this campaign will go down to the wire and is quite possibly the closest and most important Senate races in North Carolina history.

Whether you support Kay Hagan or Thom Tillis, get out to vote this November. Vote for what you believe in, and WHO you believe in.