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The Republican-led redistricting effort left a clear mark on the 2012 elections and it's drawing attention to an effort to make the process nonpartisan.

The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform will begin a statewide tour this week to pitch their idea for redistricting reform to business leaders with the local chamber of commerce in six cities, said director Jane Pinsky. The group -- backed by members of both political parties -- wants to an independent panel to redraw political district boundaries every 10 years instead of the state legislature.

The dust is never settled on the 2012 election. A Duke University forum Saturday will take a look at media coverage of the campaign season with a panel of national journalists.

John Dickerson, a media critic with Slate and CBS News, Ben Smith, the founder of BuzzFeed, and Nia-Malika Henderson, a Washington Post reporter, will serve on the panel. Duke professor James Hamilton will moderate. 

The forum is 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Fleishman Commons of the Sanford Building. It is free and open to the public.

For the first time in more than a century, the once-proud party of Jim Hunt and Terry Sanford, Luther Hodges and O. Max Gardner has been banished to the back benches of North Carolina state government.

The state Democratic Party also has been in turmoil since last spring, after allegations of sexual harassment. State Party chairman David Parker was criticized for his handling of the affair, but ignored pressure to resign. As a result, he became a liability as a spokesman and fundraiser.

Still, Parker has privately told some he may seek another term, and party leaders fear he may have the committee votes to keep the job. Read more here.

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Democratic Congressman Mike McIntyre said Sunday he would return to Washington this week even as a recount looms in his re-election.

McIntyre finished 507 votes ahead of Republican David Rouzer in one of the most expensive congressional races in the nation.

His campaign manager said McIntyre would travel to the nation's capital Tuesday for his congressional duties."His commitment to the citizens and communities he represents is strong and solid," Lachlan McIntosh said in a statement. "We have a large team in place all over the 7th District as county Boards of Elections continue to review the provisional and absentee ballots.  We are confident our lead will continue and potentially grow -- and that our victory will stand.”

Like all political candidates, Pat McCrory made many promises in his campaign. Now comes the hard part. Can his keep his promises? Read more here and check out a feasibility study for his top goals.

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--Read Rob Christensen's six takeaways from Tuesday's election. See a huge graphic breakdown of the vote. And geek out on a precinct-level analysis.

Members of the new state board overseeing drilling and fracking in North Carolina is not required required to disclose whether they could potentially profit from the practice they oversee. The board chairman Ray Covington and his family own more than 1,000 acres of timberland in Lee County, considered to be a natural gas-rich pay zone and prime fracking territory.

Such issues are not specifically mentioned on the state’s ethics disclosure form, unforeseen by North Carolina’s ethics rules because for the simple reason that there is no history of oil and gas exploration here. Read more here.

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UPDATED: Pat McCrory is the governor-elect. But when will he take office?

The N.C. constitution says the governor's term "shall commence on the first day of January next after their election and continue until their successors are elected and qualified." But traditionally the transfer of power is timed to the Junior League of Raleigh's inauguration festivities. Gov. Bev Perdue took the oath of office Jan. 10, 2008.

This year's inauguration is pegged for Saturday, Jan. 12, a day after the league's inaugural ball. But Bob Orr, a conservative and former N.C. Supreme Court justice, argues McCrory needs to be sworn in sooner.

The Dome Election Pool results are tallied. The winner: Raymond Shen.

Shen guessed 18 of 25 questions correctly -- one more point than 9 second place finishers. The tiebreaker -- President Barack Obama's popular vote percentage -- decided second place. The runner up: Jonathan Owens.

More than 150 people entered the Dome pool and only four people correctly guessed the electoral college margin. Thanks to everyone for participating. (*See notes on Florida and recounts below.)

Read observations about the Dome collective wisdom by clicking "Read More."

If you needed further proof that the Democratic National Convention was a nonstop party, here it is. The 362 political fundraisers held in Charlotte during those four days drove the city to the No. 2 spot on the Sunlight Foundation's annual ranking of political fundraising cities.

The Tuesday and Wednesday of convention week turned out to be the busiest fundraising days of the entire year, according to the foundation, with 249 political parties between them.

President Barack Obama almost ran the table Tuesday night when it came to battleground states. The lone exception: North Carolina.

Of a dozen competitive states, it was the only one that went from Democratic blue in 2008 to Republican red this year. Why didn’t Obama carry the Tar Heel State? Read five reasons here and see a map of results here.

More political headlines:

--Pat McCrory on Thursday will set foot in the Capitol for the first time as governor-elect. A block north, he will see a major challenge facing his administration: the N.C. General Assembly. 

--The 7th Congressional campaign and the lieutenant governor's race are headed to overtime. A recount looms.