Burr denies interest in leadership position

Winston-Salem Journal

Burr denies interest in leadership position

Paper says he, Thune are top candidates

By Mary M. Shaffrey

JOURNAL WASHINGTON BUREAU
Friday, July 21, 2006
WASHINGTON

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., is still a freshman senator, but some would like to see him join the party leadership.

According to a daily political newspaper on Capitol Hill, he is one of only two senators being mentioned as a possible successor to Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., in the leadership role on the committee responsible for electing more Republicans to the Senate.
But Burr said he is not interested. "I think even if I did want it - and I don't - I think it would be a mistake for the conference to have someone from the same state" as the previous chairman, he said.

But yesterday, The Hill newspaper reported that Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., was considered the front-runner and Burr was the only other candidate mentioned as a possible successor to Dole by Republican senators interviewed for the story.

Dole has served as chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC, since 2005. She is barred by party rules from running for a second term.
Brian Nick, Dole's spokesman at the NRSC, declined to make her available for an interview, saying that it would be irresponsible for her to comment on the race.

Burr and Thune were both elected in 2004. Thune is considered a darling of Republican grass-roots voters because of his defeat of Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., then the minority leader. Like Burr, he previously served in the House of Representatives.
Thune has not announced whether he is running for the position. The Hill said that he would make a decision sometime in the coming weeks.

Burr said he thinks that Thune is the ideal candidate.
"If you look in the dictionary under NRSC chairman, its got John Thune's picture on it. He's perfect for it,"he said.

Burr said that if Thune decides not to run, he would still not be a candidate.
In addition to his concern about being from the same state as Dole, he wants more time with his family, as he had told reporters before his name was reported as a contender to replace her.
The chairman's position on the committee requires considerable travel to recruit candidates and raise money.

For example, according to Federal Election Commission reports, Dole and the NRSC have raised $57.8 million during the 2006 election cycle.

For her own Leadership Circle PAC, Dole has raised $798,000 and donated $96,000 to other political campaigns, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks the role of money in politics.

According to the center, Thune has raised significantly more for his political-action committee than Burr has for his.

As of filings released on Wednesday, Thune had raised more than $1.3 million for his Heartland Values political-action committee, and donated $114,000 to other political campaigns.
Burr, on the other hand, has raised $295,000 for his Next Century Fund political-action committee, of which he has donated $31,000 to other political campaigns.
Burr was a deputy whip, which is a leadership role, while he served in the House. Since coming to the Senate, he has taken a low profile on political activities, rarely appearing at partisan press conferences. Instead, he has focused most of his attention on such policy issues as bioterrorism, energy and veterans affairs.

If he replaced Dole, it would be his first political leadership position in the Senate.
Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., also elected in 2004, said he thought that both men would do a good job, but he hoped that Burr would consider running.

"Sen. Burr has been a good leader," Martinez said. "He is the senior member of our freshman group, and he has been the one who brings us together from time to time.
"I think he is a natural leader.... I hope he'll do it."
Mary M. Shaffrey can be reached in Washington at 202-662-7672 or at .

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