Gay candidate reflects on loss in N.C. Senate race, faults fundraising failures; others criticize HRC

Jim Neal ran himself ragged during his bid to win a U.S. Senate seat.

The 51-year-old gay man said he subsisted on caffeine and sugar as he crisscrossed North Carolina, shed 15 pounds he didn’t have to lose and allowed himself only a few hours of sleep each night.

It was a grueling campaign. And though Neal finished far behind the winner of the Democratic primary, the former candidate said he’s not overly upset about the outcome.

“I think we did extremely well,” he said. “I was told by the pundits and folks who look at things like this for a living that our campaign should have just been a rounding error.”

Neal, who took 18 percent of the vote but lost to state Sen. Kay Hagan by 42 points, said he was pleased with what his grassroots campaign achieved.

See Gay candidate reflects on loss in N.C. Senate race