How Vulnerable Is Richard Burr?

The 2010 Senate landscape plays to Republicans' favor, but one bright spot for Democrats might--might--be North Carolina, where only 21% of voters want to reelect Sen. Richard Burr (R), and where state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D), generally considered to have a better shot than other Democratic challengers, just announced his bid for the seat today.

Sen. Kay Hagan's (D) victory over Elizabeth Dole in 2008 made the state a critical point of geographical incursion for Dems: along with President Obama's victory there, the traditionally red state went blue, and North Carolina became symbolic of the new, wider Demographic appeal that Democrats allegedly have in the Obama era, with an influx of new voters helping them play in the South.

But what are Democrats' chances, realistically, of winning in North Carolina again in 2010? Hotline OnCall's Reid Wilson talks to NC strategists about it and finds cases for both sides, with Burr's unpopularity, his $3.4 million war chest, Obama's name not being on the ballot, and a preoccupied DSCC as potential factors.