Narrow defeat by former N.C. House Speaker Black in 2006 gave the Republican name recognition.
By Jim Morrill
jmorrill@charlotteobserver.com
It was in a losing campaign that Hal Jordan made his name in politics.
In 2006 the Charlotte Republican came within 30 votes of toppling then-N.C. House Speaker Jim Black, one of the two most powerful Democrats in the General Assembly.
And he did it in a district where Democrats far outnumber Republicans.
“It broke Jim Black’s hold on North Carolina and gave Jordan tremendous name recognition,” says former state GOP Chair Linda Daves. “(He’s) a tremendous campaigner.”
Now Jordan, 51, is one of six Republicans running for Congress in the 8th District, which stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville. The seat is currently held by Democrat Larry Kissell.
Jordan, a systems management specialist for IBM, is running as a fiscal conservative angered by the health care vote and what he calls the “irrational decisions made on Capitol Hill.”
“We are essentially mortgaging the future of our children,” the father of four told a GOP group in Monroe last week.
A soft-spoken Maryland native, Jordan has been active in grass-roots Republican politics since moving to Charlotte in 1987. In 2006, he was a little-known businessman when he took on Black.
The Matthews Democrat outspent him 13-1. But scandals were steadily eroding Black’s support. Jordan’s campaign mantra was “Honesty for a Change.”
Three months after his narrow win, Black pleaded guilty to corruption. He’s still in federal prison.
Jordan ran for Mecklenburg commissioner in 2008 but lost as Democrats swept the three at-large seats.
In a contest where at least two of his GOP rivals have lost bids for local office, the losses haven’t seemed to hurt Jordan.
“The day after he lost, he was showing up at party events and providing support for people,” says state Rep. Thom Tillis, a Cornelius Republican. “For me the biggest measure of a person is what they do after they lose.”
Tillis, who worked with Jordan at IBM, describes him as someone with a methodical, businesslike approach to politics.
“He’s the sort of person I think would bring a very professional and respectful approach to governing,” Tillis says. “He’s got very strong conservative views. But his approach is more likely to get things done – less likely to throw bombs, more likely to take ground.”
Daves is co-chairing Jordan’s campaign along with Bill Cobey, another former state party chair. In a letter to Republicans, they called Jordan “the strongest candidate to win back our 8th District seat.”
In narrowly losing to Black, supporters say Jordan proved he could win votes from Democrats and independents. Consultant Dee Stewart of Raleigh says the campaign hopes to portray Jordan as the most electable Republican.
“The ability to win the general election will be a major issue as the primary draws nearer,” Stewart says.
Last week Jordan campaigned in Locust, where he watched a demonstration of a machine that converts some kinds of landfill waste into clean energy. In a campaign that prides itself on grassroots outreach, he then walked door-to-door in a Harrisburg subdivision.
He says he’s learned from defeat.
“Even when you’re an underdog and have less money than your opponent, you can win,” he says. “As long as you have enough money to be competitive, you can win if you have a better organized, better focused campaign than your opponent.”