I think Jim Pendergraph is a good guy and was a good sheriff for Mecklenburg County. But running for county commission in 2010 will be several orders of magnitude more difficult — politically — than any thing he has ever done. Pendergraph will have to run against: a) a bloated county bureaucracy b) an increasingly left-wing local Democratic agenda and perhaps most importantly, c) against a flabby, rudderless local GOP establishment.
At every turn Pendergraph will face resistance from the forces of the status quo of which a, b, and c are members in good standing. They will not fight fair, will not stick to the issues, if they perceive Pendergraph to be a threat to them. And I believe they will — if Pendergraph runs on a platform of fundamental reform of county government and tax cuts.
The flip side is the chance that county Republicans — sick of being shutout of county-wide office — willingly draft along behind Pendergraph without objection or obstruction. I consider that unlikely, but possible.
Should be an interesting year.
