Burr and Marshall in Greensboro

With Election Day a week and a half out, campaign stops by US Senate candidates Richard Burr and Elaine Marshall in Greensboro over the past couple days have presented a striking contrast.

Burr packed the house this afternoon at the Guilford County Republican Party headquarters in Greensboro for what was essentially a party rally for Republican candidates and conservative judicial candidates, and the Senate nominee's confidence was reflected in the fact that he urged those in the audience to pick a GOP candidate to campaign for rather than focusing on his own contest, and spoke ebulliently about the prospect of an upset by Republican Bill Randall in North Carolina's 13th Congressional District.

Speaking on behalf of himself and Rep. Howard Coble, Burr said, "Nothing will thrill us more than to see who makes the cavalry that's coming."

Burr's talk intermingled homages to small government, meditations on the prospects of Republican victories and reflections on the sacrifices of members of the nation's military.

In contrast, Marshall spoke to about 25 people in a small black church on Randleman Road at an event hosted by Democracy at Home. She highlighted her biography, including as a young woman being turned down for a business loan because of her gender. She talked about voters on the campaign trail sharing their anxieties about jobs, and about the widening gap between the rich and poor. She blamed Burr for voting for tax policies that reward companies that ship jobs abroad. She struck a populist chord by saying, "We can't solve this deficit on the backs of working Americans. Millionaires need to pay their fair share."

Marshall reiterated her support for repealing the Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell policy that allows gays to serve in the military as long as they keep their sexual orientation a secret.

"I have felt injustices because of being female," she said.