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Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 7:59 PM UTC

The other female victor in Carolina

Elaine Marshall's anti-mama-grizzly win is flying under the radar, but she's worth paying attention to

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The other female victor in CarolinaNorth Carolina Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elaine Marshall at a debate with Cal Cunningham in Raleigh on June 10.

Since South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley’s runoff win last night is splashed across front pages across the country, it might surprise people to learn that another Carolina lady also declared victory Tuesday: North Carolina Senate candidate Elaine Marshall beat Cal Cunningham to become the Democrats’ nominee to take on incumbent Sen. Richard Burr.

Haley’s win fits nicely within the main narrative the media has chosen for this election season: the triumph of the “mama grizzly” candidate — the conservative women, almost all of whom are backed by Sarah Palin, who have triumphed in contests around the country.

But Marshall, currently the North Carolina secretary of state, is no mama grizzly. In fact, she’s more progressive than even Cunningham, the handsome establishment candidate who was hand-picked for the race by the leaders of the national Democratic Party. In this way, Marshall is a sort-of anti-Blanche Lincoln, the moderate Arkansas Democrat who Obama and company supported despite her having thwarted parts of the president’s agenda — particularly the public option in the health care bill.

Whereas Lincoln received the full backing of national Democrats — Bill Clinton came home to stump for her, bashing any wavering liberals who might deign to support Lincoln rival Bill Halter — Marshall took the opposite route, branding herself an outsider, a predictable tactic in a year tinged with anti-establishment sentiments.

Marshall, however, has made her support of health care reform, including a public option, a central tenant of her campaign, along with her opposition to the troop buildup in Afghanistan — a notable stance given that Cunningham played up his Iraq War vet bona fides in the race.

And though she wasn’t anointed by party leadership the way Cunningham was, Marshall certainly followed the Obama playbook in winning the nomination: She took up the mantle of progressive populist and utilized a strong network of grassroots supporters.

While all eyes will be on Senate matchups between Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina in California, and Lincoln and John Boozman in Arkansas, Marshall might be a sleeper in an election filled with interesting, capable women.

Sara Libby

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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