Cunningham mulls U.S. Senate bid

Lexington's Cal Cunningham recently got himself out of one struggle in Iraq.

Now he's looking into the feasibility of entering into a different kind of battle.

Following the urging of friends and fellow Democrats since his return from a tour of duty in Iraq several months ago, Cunningham is examining the possibility of running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Richard Burr when Burr goes up for re-election next year.

Cunningham's prospects for a serious Senate run improved dramatically when N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper recently informed the state Democratic Party he would decline to run for the seat.

Also considered to be potential contenders are Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton; U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-2nd; U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-11th; former state senator Dan Blue; Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former Senator John Edwards; and former North Carolina treasurer Richard Moore, to name a few.

http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20090527/articles/905279994