Nominees

Lauch Faircloth (R), incumbent
In 1992, Lauch Faircloth defeated his old friend and former boss, Sen. Terry Sanford (D), to win his first term in the Senate. Before that, Faircloth unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for governor in 1984 and Senate in 1986.

Faircloth has made D.C. city government and banking reform his two pet projects. Although his efforts to shift control of the nation's capitol from locally elected officials to congressional appointees has been criticized as "immoral" by Rev. Jesse Jackson, his efforts to clean up government waste play well back home. Jackson's protest march to Faircloth's North Carolina farm last August could not have been a better reelection rally for many Faircloth supporters.

Faircloth's farm in Clinton, N.C., is just part of a multimillion-dollar hog enterprise he operates in the nation's most prolific pork-producing county. He began working on his family's farm when he was 19 and is the Senate's sixth richest member, worth at least $17 million.

That money will come in handy in this race, which Faircloth has said he anticipates would cost $5 million. He will also be able to count on support from the tobacco industry. Common Cause reports that over the last 10 years, tobacco has given Faircloth $83,250. Only North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms (R) and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) received more.
Campaign Web site
E-mail: lauch1998@aol.com

John Edwards (D)
Like Robert Redford's character in the 1972 movie "The Candidate," John Edwards is a telegenic attorney and political newcomer.

Before becoming a candidate, Edwards was best known in North Carolina as the man who in 1997 helped a 9-year-old girl win a state-record $25-million award against a pool drain company after most of her intestines were sucked out through an open drain. Edwards has been listed in every edition of Best Lawyers in America since 1987, and in 1996, Lawyers Weekly USA named him one of the eight national "Lawyers of the Year."

Like Faircloth, Edwards will be well served in an expensive election by his professional success. He lists his net worth between $13.7 million and $38.6 million, and hefty donations from his fellow trial lawyers will help buoy the bid, which he estimates will cost $10 million to win.
Campaign Web site
E-mail: senate98@johnedwards.org