Three were wise to pass on U.S. Senate bid

With Republican Richard Burr in comfortable control of North Carolina?s U.S. Senate race this year, the handful of Democrats who declined to enter the race last year are looking downright brilliant. Among those were Attorney General Roy Cooper and U.S. Reps. Mike McIntyre (7th Congressional District) and Heath Shuler (11th Congressional District).

What?s shaping up to be a handy win for Burr against Elaine Marshall notwithstanding, each of these three has plenty of troubles of their own. Cooper is tied up with a scandal involving the State Bureau of Investigations. McIntyre and Shuler, once thought safely ensconced in their districts, are fighting for their political lives just to maintain their seats in the House.

These three gambled, rightly, that it was going to be a tough year for Democratic incumbents ? not a year to mount a Senate campaign.