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Tea party, GOP establishment vie in NC primary

By WTOP Staff

GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The struggle for control of the Republican Party is getting an early voter test in North Carolina, where former presidential nominee Mitt Romney and tea party favorite Rand Paul on Monday pushed their own candidates for the right to challenge Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan in November.

On the eve of Tuesday’s primary, Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, assured Republicans that House Speaker Thom Tillis is “a conservative” with deep roots in the state. Paul, meanwhile, called his candidate, obstetrician Greg Brannon, a “dragon slayer” and the “true believer” in an eight-person race watched nationally for its influence over the party and the makeup of the U.S. Senate.

Even Hagan, one of the Democrats’ most vulnerable incumbents, got involved in the Republican primary by taking a page out of her party’s political playbook. In a mailing, she hit Tillis, the fundraising leader in the GOP pack, for saying President Barack Obama’s controversial health care law is “a great idea,” even as he campaigns to repeal it. Tillis’ full quote called the law “a great idea that can’t be paid for.” Hagan voted for “Obamacare.”

The election-eve push was all about inspiring Republicans to vote in Tuesday’s GOP primary in a state that narrowly chose Obama in 2008 and Romney four years later. Tuesday’s balloting is being hotly monitored in a year in which Republicans are six seats away from a Senate majority and determined to put electable candidates on the ballot.

The primary might not answer the question. If no candidate gets more than 40 percent of the vote Tuesday, Republicans continue their contest through a July runoff — costing the party time and money that could otherwise be spent attacking Hagan. Her defeat is all but necessary if Republicans want to take back control of the Senate, and party leaders were hoping to settle their contest and unite as soon as possible.

“You can’t defeat Kay Hagan with a factionalized (party),” Tillis said.

The North Carolina GOP primary is a key test in the 2014 elections for control of the Senate, and the two leading candidates deployed party leaders to help inspire voters to turn out at the polls.

North Carolina needs “a dragon slayer, and that dragon slayer is Dr. Greg Brannon,” Paul, the Kentucky senator, told 250 people downtown near the NASCAR Hall of Fame, suggesting Brannon’s strong conservative beliefs would shake up the status quo in Washington. “I’m here today because Greg Brannon is a true believer and we need true believers in Congress,” Paul added.

Romney, meanwhile, tried to assure Republican voters that Tillis could be depended upon to represent them.

“Thom is a conservative who has been solving problems in North Carolina as speaker of the House, and I am confident he will do the same in Washington,” Romney wrote in an email Monday to Tillis’ supporters.

Tillis was a Romney campaign surrogate two years ago. Brannon said in 2012 he wouldn’t support Romney for president, because he was too moderate and like Obama would “advance tyranny.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, Tillis on Monday sounded cautiously optimistic about avoiding a runoff. “I’m not the one who believes it’s certain,” he said. “I believe it’s going to depend on turnout.”

Dampening Tillis’ turnout kept Hagan’s campaign busy. Her camp has run a radio ad on conservative talk shows and sent mail to Republican voters suggesting Tillis is double-talking about his hopes to repeal the federal health care law.

“Watch close: seems Thom Tillis wants it both ways,” the mailer says. A PAC for Senate Democrats, meanwhile, has aired a TV ad about the severance packages given to two members of Tillis’ legislative staff said to have had inappropriate personal relationships with lobbyists.

Attacking the GOP front-runner is a familiar strategy for Democrats seeking weak GOP opponents. In 2010, a Democratic-leaning group hammered Sue Lowden in Nevada, helping tea partyer Sharron Angle win the GOP nomination. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had a much easier time prevailing over Angle. In 2012, vulnerable Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill ran ads highlighting Rep. Todd Akin’s conservative credentials, tipping the scales in a crowded primary and ensuring that Akin won the GOP nomination. In the general election, McCaskill defeated Akin after the Republican made comments referring to “legitimate rape.”

Brannon and another GOP candidate in the race, Mark Harris, also have suggested Tillis could be unelectable in a general campaign given his political baggage.

Harris, a Baptist minister, said Monday that Tillis is probably the candidate for a voter “if you want an establishment … style of United States senator, someone that is going to work in the system.”

“Ultimately what North Carolinians have to do is help figure who we are, and where we’ve moving together,” Harris added.

About 4 percent of the overall electorate voted during early in-person voting that ended over the weekend. Four years ago, overall turnout for a similar primary election with a U.S. Senate race on the ballot was 14 percent.

___

Weiss reported from Charlotte, North Carolina. Associated Press reporter Donna Cassata in Washington contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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