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 Gay
Candidate Loses Bid To Challenge Dole
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 7, 2008 - 8:00 am ET
(Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Chapel Hill businessman Jim Neal finished a distant second in
the race for the Democratic primary for the US Senate from
North Carolina.
State Sen. Kay Hagan beat Neal
handily to win the nod to run against Republican Elizabeth
Dole in November. Hagan captured more than 60 percent of the
vote, compared to Neal's 18 percent.
Last year Hagan said she was
not interested in a US Senate run, but after Neal came out
publicly, acknowledging he is gay, Hagan changed her mind. And
despite his coming out Neal failed to capture the support of
most LGBT rights groups.
Neal made his sexuality official
last year during an online discussion on the liberal North
Carolina blog BlueNC.com, shortly after announcing his
candidacy.
In the discussion he was asked
directly if he is gay. "I am indeed," Neal replied.
But he also said he wanted to
be known as the candidate who happens to be gay not the gay
candidate.
"I'm not running this race
to make some social statement," Neal said. "I'm
running to lead in the Senate for the voters in NC - something
Sen. Dole has not done."
Neal is a North Carolina
native. He was born in Greensboro in 1956.
He received his undergraduate
degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in
1978 and worked for Goldman Sachs as a financial analyst.
He later returned to school at
the University of Chicago, earning an MBA, and has worked at a
variety of Fortune 500 companies.
Neal served as a national
finance committee member for Wes Clark for President and the
Kerry-Edwards campaigns, as well as acting as a national
fundraiser for U.S. Senate candidate Erskine Bowles in 2004.
Neal's primary campaign was
mostly self-funded.
Following her win Hagan reached
out to Neal supporters.
"I want to invite them to
come on board, and I certainly need their support," said
Hagan.
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