Campaign

Democratic primary candidate endorses Terry

by Joey Michalakes - 07/14/08 7:21 PM ET

Air Force Capt. Richard Carter, a former Democratic candidate in the 2nd district, endorsed Rep. Lee Terry’s (R) reelection bid at last weekend’s state GOP convention.

Carter lost convincingly to repeat candidate Jim Esch (D) in the Democratic primary May 13, with Esch taking 81 percent of the vote. His endorsement of Terry surprised many of Esch’s supporters, given his intense criticism of the incumbent during the primary campaign.

{mosads}In February, Carter told supporters on a Daily Kos live blog that the best way to improve upon Terry’s Iraq policy would be “by removing him from office.”

But Carter attributed his change in perspective to a better awareness of Terry’s positions in the months following the primary, reserving special praise for the congressman’s energy plan.

“We disagree on some issues,” he admitted in an interview. “But the only candidate who you’ll agree with 100 percent is yourself.”

Terry’s campaign called Carter’s announcement “devastating” to Esch’s campaign prospects.

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“Richard will bring thousands of Democrats with him over to us,” promised campaign manager Dave Boomer.

But Esch downplayed the significance of Carter’s announcement.

“This campaign is going to come down to independents, and they don’t know who Carter is,” said the challenger, who is making his second attempt at unseating Terry after falling by 10 points in 2006.

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