Marion Butler was born on May 20, 1863 in Sampson County. A short 32 years later, he was elected for his first, and only, term as North Carolina’s representative to the U.S. Senate.

During the century since Barber held a seat in Washington D.C. as a member of the Populist Party, the state has yet to elect such a young statesman.

In fact, most of North Carolina’s senators — including some of the region’s notable names, Joseph Broughton, Jesse Helms and Elizabeth Dole — have been rather elderly. The senators from the Old North State — old being the opportune word — have conformed more to the traditional image of age and experience than to youth, like the rising stars such as Scott Brown, a Republican from Massachusetts.

Cal Cunningham, a Democratic candidate for the Senate seat held by Richard Burr, a Republican, conforms more to the latter model. The 36-year-old carries himself with the stature of age and experience but walks with a spring and vivaciousness rarely seen in North Carolina politics. A six-time marathon runner with his wife, Elizabeth, Cunningham wields a commanding presence with his youthful brown hair parted to the side, soft brown eyes and athletic physique.

Despite his amateur appearance, Cunningham is hardly new to politics. He got an early start as student body president at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1995, where he received his bachelor’s with honors in political science and philosophy.

Fifteen years, two graduate degrees, a tour in Iraq with the Army Reserves and a stint in the General Assembly later, Cunningham is aiming for Capitol Hill.

A small group of about 20 people heard him present his vision for health care reform, education, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Social Security and the lack of bipartisan cooperation in Washington midday Saturday at Park Shops.

Before the start of the event, he spoke about the importance of education to the state economy and the nation as a whole.

“I’m a firm believer that education is an investment, that it pays its dividends out over the lives of citizens,” he said. “It’s not just dollars and cents, it’s quality of life. And, so, money spent on education is an investment in our future.”

Specifically, Cunningham spoke to the N.C. Constitution’s mandate — Article 9, Section 9 — which requires higher education to be as free as practicable.

“There are campus obligations, there are state obligations and there are federal opportunities for us to work on these issues,” he said. “I’m the only candidate of either party in this race that has laid out, in great depth, what I think it is Washington ought to be doing to supplement and encourage the efforts on campuses like State’s.”

Cunningham said he was concerned about students’ abilities to effectively pay for a college education and was worried about the real effect it is having on the public service opportunities students can pursue.

“The doors to [a] university … education need to be opened for everybody so that … those who grow up in the urban areas, small towns or even out in rural North Carolina know that the pathway to success flows through our universities and colleges. That, the financial burden isn’t going to cripple them,” he said.

Cunningham, who was a major proponent of the $3.1 billion higher-education bond in 2000, said we must help students pay for their educations through efforts such as Obama’s American Opportunities Tax Credit, which he hopes to help extend if elected to the Senate in November.

“We have to be careful in taking on debt, given the debt loads that our state and federal government are experiencing right now,” he said. “But in a time of low interest rates like the one we are in … it’s a good time for the state to go in and issue bonds that [promote] additional renovation and expansion.”

His efforts on education have earned him high praise from the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), who recommended his campaign 19 to 1 over the other Democrats running in the Senate primary, notably Elaine Marshall, the N.C. Secretary of State.

Cunningham said that there is still significant work to do because of the economy. “We are in a historic downturn, one which we have not seen in many generations, one that we hope we won’t ever see again in our lifetimes.”

Building on that concept during his presentation to the audience, Cunningham said we all need “to be a part of the change our country so desperately needs.”

Cunningham used the question and answer session that followed his speech to engage the audience on his perceptions of the Iraq War, where he was awarded a Bronze Star for prosecuting contractor misconduct, Social Security and his hope to see reform in Washington that gets government back to work.

The crowd, though not particularly robust, seemed to react positively to the candidate.

David Britt, a student in lifelong education, said he enjoyed the event and thought highly of Cunningham, but was concerned that “most of the campaign focuses on the western part of the state.”

Brad Kennedy, a junior in political science and campus campaign manager for Cunningham, said “he brings a fresh outlook to issues … and a great electability.”

He thought Cunningham’s speech to the students and campaign supporters showed “a seriousness of purpose” the other candidates fail to display.

To the chagrin of his supporters, Cunningham, who also had a speaking engagement at Duke University Saturday, is trailing in the most recent poll released by Public Policy Polling. In the poll, which was released Feb. 15, Cunningham trailed Elaine Marshall by 17 points.

The figure doesn’t tell a complete picture, though, as 52 percent of the potential primary voters were undecided and a majority of respondents knew little about the candidates — a fact that is likely to change as the elections heat up.