Attorney general's race yields to a higher office
, The Charlotte Observer
At age 32, Hampton Dellinger believed he could be North Carolina's attorney general.
But Dellinger backed down when he learned that then-state Sen. Roy Cooper would run for the office.
When Dellinger decided to seek the office again in 2008, he had an ally. He released a video showing him dribbling a basketball and making a layup. In the video, former UNC basketball coach Dean Smith touted Dellinger's legal experience — and his basketball skills.
But Cooper decided to seek another term, so Dellinger, now 40, aimed even higher: lieutenant governor, the state's second-highest office. Such a move might seem ambitious for a person making his first bid for political office. But Dellinger said he knows the value of political organizing.
Dellinger's father is Walter Dellinger, a Duke University law professor and longtime Democratic supporter who served as U.S. solicitor general in the Clinton administration. His mother, Anne, spent three decades as a faculty member at the UNC School of Government.
Dellinger's father moved in circles with such popular progressive politicians as former U.S. Sen. Terry Sanford. But, Dellinger said, "It was really my mom that sparked my interest in local and state government. Her work seemed important and interesting."
Dellinger knows how to shake hands and make legal points. He works in one of the state's most politically connected law firms, Womble Carlyle, and is often seen jogging during work breaks near the state Capitol. He'll stop to chat with reporters, politicians and lawyers.
One of his first assignments when he was hired at a Washington law firm in the early 1990s was to help the NAACP work with creditors. The organization was near bankruptcy. (more…)
Raleigh, NC
