Senate move must weigh on Blue

Former House Speaker Dan Blue of Raleigh, D-Wake, a longtime member of the state House of Representatives, is a leading candidate for the N.C. Senate vacancy caused by the recent death of Sen. Vernon Malone, D-Wake.

Dome reports today that Blue not only won a straw poll by the influential Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association Saturday, but he was also formally endorsed Monday night by the group. That would put Blue in a strong position to move from the House to the Senate, an action many politicians would jump at.

But is Blue all that interested? Blue, after all, is a creature of the state House, where he first came to political prominence, developed an excellent reputation as a legislator and in 1991 became the first African American speaker of the state House. He is in his 14th term in the House, and he has never regarded a state Senate seat as a move up the political ladder.

He has some reason to feel that way. Senate terms, like House terms, are for two years, so there's no advantages as there is with the six-year U.S. Senate terms compared to U.S. House two-year terms. There are 50 members of the state Senate, compared to 120 members of the House, and thus Senators arguably have a greater vote -- 1/50th of a decision, rather than 1/120th of a decision.

Blue ran once for the U.S. Senate, losing the 2002 Democratic primary to Erskine Bowles for the seat being vacated by Jesse Helms. He rejoined the House in 2006 when Gov. Mike Easley appointed him to a vacancy.

But there's something else Blue has to think about. While both the Senate and the House have political caucuses that guide legislators in their decision-making, the Senate has shorter debates and members often seem to vote along party lines -- Democrats especially, since they're in charge and hold a majority of the votes. But the House often seems more deliberative. One reason may be there are a lot more members, and it's difficult to enforce a caucus position on members. But current House Speaker Joe Hackney allows more debate on issues, and Republican Leader Skip Stam, R-Wake and his party seem to get more opportunity to contribute to the debate, though I don't know if they win any more often than their Senate colleagues.

All that must be weighing on Blue's mind as he ponders whether to try to make the move to the Senate.