Sexton: Folwell's campaign bears watching

It shouldn't come as any huge surprise to anyone who's been paying attention that state Rep. Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth, is planning to run for a statewide office this year.

Why not?

Since he first went to Raleigh to represent House District 74 in 1994, Folwell has proved himself to be an able politician.

He has steadily climbed the GOP ranks in the state House and helped lay some of the groundwork for the historic Republican takeover of the General Assembly in 2010.

Along the way, he also morphed his image from something of an eccentric, deep-thinking backbencher (while the Democrats were in charge) to a sort of a big-idea conservative with the bona fides to run for a statewide office.

And the fact that Folwell is a Camel City guy who stands an actual chance of winning a statewide election should add a little extra something for locals with an interest in politics.

Some you know, some you don't

Before we get into what is merely an academic exercise, let's spell out a couple of basic definitions.

By "local," we mean Winston-Salem and its immediate surroundings. "Statewide office" means just that — any seat that's elected by everybody in North Carolina, mountains to coast.

U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor and council of state posts (attorney general, secretary of agriculture etc.) are examples. U.S. House of Representatives, state Senate and Miss North Carolina are not. And for argument's sake, let's skip judicial races; nobody really knows what they're voting for there anyway.

In the past few elections, we here in the local area have been represented several times in statewide races. Some you may know, some you most certainly do not.

Richard Burr, Winston-Salem native, Republican and son of a popular local minister, was elected to the U.S. Senate twice as a Republican, in 2004 and 2010. That one you know.

Dan Besse, Democrat, member of the Winston-Salem City Council, took a shot at his party's nomination for lieutenant governor in 2008. Though he's smart, energetic and earnest — traits that sadly don't often translate to success at the ballot box — Besse got poleaxed in that contest, coming in fourth. That one you might know.

Also in 2008, Mary Fant Donnan — a Democrat and program officer at the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation here in Winston-Salem — lost a general election bid to Republican Cherie Berry for labor commissioner by less than 1 percent of the vote. No way anyone other than the candidate's mom or campaign donors remember that race.

So which category will Folwell's run fall under? Famous success? Amusing anecdote? Or head-scratching minutiae?

The inside track

Folwell has been playing coy so far, calling a news conference for this morning in which he'll announce his candidacy for lieutenant governor, state auditor or treasurer. The bet here is that he runs for lieutenant governor. Whatever the race, though, Folwell should do well.

First, knuckleheads generally don't ascend to leadership. By virtue of being the House speaker pro tem, Folwell has amassed allies and connections within the GOP that will gain him access to the donors who bankroll statewide races and the kingmakers who decide the primary winners.

Second, since virtually no one can name the lieutenant governor or just what it is that he/she actually does, Folwell should have an edge in a year in which embattled Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue will be a drag on the entire Democratic ticket.

Perdue, remember, still has some tap-dancing to do about her 2008 campaign and the indictments handed to top aides for allegedly violating state election law. And the likely Republican nominee for governor, Pat McCrory, held a 10-point edge in a December poll conducted by the Public Policy Polling group.

With voting days still months away — four months until the primaries, 10 until the general election — a lot could change. But for the time being, Folwell's campaign will be interesting local viewing.