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iLEGISLATURE: State legislators may rewrite the corporate tax law in a bid to lure Apple computer, which is looking for a spot to locate a $1 billion data center. The tax breaks could be worth about $3 million a year in the first years and eventually grow to $12.5 million a year. The bill passed the House this week but must go back to the Senate for final approval.

PRE-RACE WARMUP: Contenders for the 2010 elections continue to get shuffled. Democrats are mulling six candidates for U.S. Senate: Reps. Heath Shuler and Mike McIntyre, state Sens. Malcolm Graham and Dan Blue, Iraq vet Cal Cunningham and Durham lawyer Kenneth Lewis. Meantime, Republicans lost first-round draft pick Mike Minter, who declined to run against Rep. Larry Kissell.

DUKING IT OUT: Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is taking heat for remarks she made at Duke University in 2005. An Appeals Court judge, she said the court is "where policy is made." Conservatives said that means she'll legislate from the bench; liberals said she simply meant interpreting vague laws. Forum moderator Erwin Chemerinsky said it's much ado about an "innocuous" remark.

IN OTHER NEWS: Former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will hold a fundraiser in Charlotte in June. ... Mike Easley Jr. is working at the same law firm as Richard Vinroot, who ran against his father in 2000. ... Gov. Beverly Perdue said she trusts her son Garrett is not lobbying state legislators, despite his recent attendance at a big event. ... The N.C. Association of Educators says it's "at war" over the state budget.

The Senate race is still wide open.

Two weeks after expected frontrunner Roy Cooper declined to run, anyone could conceivably announce a campaign and go on to win the nomination.

Still, the field has narrowed a bit. Here's a rundown:

TOP PROSPECTS: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee still prefers a name-brand candidate. To that end, they're putting pressure locally and in D.C. on their preferred candidate, U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler of Waynesville. Rep. Mike McIntyre of Lumberton is also interested.

SECOND TIER: Iraq war vet Cal Cunningham and Durham lawyer Kenneth Lewis continue to test the waters with speeches before Democratic meetings and a Facebook group (for Cunningham) among other things. State Sen. Malcolm Graham and Dan Blue are dropping hints as well.

BLACK VOTERS: After Barack Obama's 2008 wins in North Carolina, black voters are excited about their 2010 prospects. Graham, Lewis or Blue could be the next hope to take up the mantle of two-time candidate Harvey Gantt. McIntyre, who has a number of black voters in his district, could also do well within the community.

LIBERAL VOTERS: By some accounts, Democratic primary voters in North Carolina are more liberal than they've been in the past. While Shuler or McIntyre would do well in a general election matchup with the conservative Sen. Richard Burr, they may have a tougher road in a primary fight with Cunningham, Lewis, Graham or Blue, who are more liberal.

The conventional wisdom right now is that Shuler is the establishment favorite and Cunningham the best of the dark horse candidates. A lot may depend on how well the various candidates do at fundraising.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr leads seven potential contenders.

In a survey by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, the Winston-Salem Republican had an advantage over seven Democrats when given only name, party and sometimes title.

In order from Burr's biggest to smallest leads:

Burr (48) Walter Dalton (29) Undecided (22)
Burr (44) Heath Shuler (28) Undecided (28)
Burr (47) Bob Etheridge (31) Undecided (22)
Burr (47) Richard Moore (34) Undecided (19)
Burr (44) Dan Blue (33) Undecided (23)
Burr (46) Elizabeth Edwards (35) Undecided (19)

The firm also tested former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, giving a two-sentence glowing description about his time in Iraq and as a former state senator:

Burr (42) Cunningham (34) Undecided (24)

"Although it's taking Democrats a while to get a candidate, Burr's standing is still tenuous, and getting someone with a lot of name recognition isn't necessarily that important to winning next year," said pollster Dean Debnam.

The firm did not test Durham attorney Kenneth Lewis, who has said he may run.

The Fix sees North Carolina's race becoming competitive.

Despite the trouble state Democrats are having finding a candidate to run against U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, Washington Post blogger Chris Cillizza included the race for the first time in his Senate rundown this week:

10. North Carolina (R-controlled): State Attorney General Roy Cooper's decision not to run in 2010 makes Sen. Richard Burr's (R) path to a second term next fall easier. But, polling in the state seems to suggest that voters are far from sold on Burr and national Democrats seem to be committed to finding a serious candidate. Their two best remaining options are Reps. Heath Shuler and Mike McIntyre -- both of whom have conservative voting records in the House that would make it difficult for Burr to cast them as liberals. (Previous ranking: N/A) 

Cillizza's options reflect the Washington view that a "name-brand" Democrat is needed for the campaign, although two lesser-known North Carolinians — Kenneth Lewis and Cal Cunningham — have indicated they may run.

A Facebook group is trying to recruit Cal Cunningham to run for U.S. Senate.

The group was created by Democratic activist Frank Eaton after a speech at a recent Congressional district convention by the former state senator, who is pondering a run against U.S. Sen. Richard Burr. As of today, it had 400 members.

"A quick run-down of Cal's biography is enough to convince anybody that he'd be a formidable opponent against Burr," notes the group's mission statement.

Cunningham said he was aware of the group, and his wife, sister and sister-in-law are members. But he said he does not have any ties to it and warned that it does not signal anything about his intentions.

"I can tell you very frankly that I'm just having the conversation with fellow Democrats," he said. "(Attorney General Roy) Cooper's exit from the field was surprising to me, but it also raises the question of whether there's an opportunity for a guy to return to public service in a field that is wide open right now."

Meantime, Cunningham has 599 friends on his own Facebook profile, the bulk of which he says are personal and not political.

"I have been hearing from people that I know more remotely lately," he said.

The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2010 is wide open.

At this point, any of the major Democratic officials in the state could announce a campaign and quickly move to front-runner status. Or one of the lesser-known candidates could jump in and begin making waves.

Still, a few things are becoming evident:

DSCC THINKING BIG: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is looking for a brand name. Despite its success in 2008 with a state senator with low name recognition, the Washington crowd is looking for a Congressman or current or former statewide official.

WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT: U.S. Reps. Bob Etheridge and Brad Miller, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and state Rep. Grier Martin seem increasingly unlikely. Washington types like Rep. Heath Shuler, who's not ruling it out, while Rep. Mike McIntyre is interested.

STILL UNKNOWN: A few other potential candidates have not been heard from: Raleigh mayor Charles Meeker, former state Treasurer Richard Moore, state legislator Dan Blue, and the rest of this extensive list. (Update: Meeker's out, Blue's answer is ambiguous.)

PRIMARY COMPETITION: Durham attorney Kenneth Lewis seems increasingly likely to run in the primary. Former state senator Cal Cunningham may also make a run for it. Either candidate would lead to a more interesting primary than Democrats faced in 2008.

By picking a female candidate with pro-business credentials and strong North Carolina ties, Democrats neutralized some of Sen. Elizabeth Dole's advantages and set up a contrast between the native and the so-called carpetbagger.

It's not yet clear what their strategy would be against Burr. But here are a few qualities to consider: Son of a Presbyterian minister, college football player, Triad native, and conservative with a record on veterans' issues.

Who does the DSCC prefer for the 2010 Senate campaign?

CNN's Political Ticker, citing an anonymous source at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, lists four names:

Their top candidates are, in no particular order: Rep. Heath Shuler, the former NFL quarterback and second term congressman from western North Carolina's 11th district; Rep. Bob Etheridge from the Raleigh-area second district; former state Treasurer Richard Moore, who lost in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary last year; and Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

It notes that former state Sen. Cal Cunningham is also eyeing the seat, but does not include him on the list of DSCC's potential recruits. 

Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham of Lexington, who recently returned from duty in Iraq, is considering challenging Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.

Cunningham, a 35-year old attorney, has been traveling around the state during the past two months speaking to Democratic groups, Rob Christensen reports.

"I'm having conversations with friends and fellow Democrats," Cunningham said. "North Carolina has a lot of needs right now. We have rising unemployment and a couple of wars. We need someone in Washington who is energetic and who offers compelling leadership."

The favorite of party leaders was Attorney General Roy Cooper, who announced Friday that he would not run.

Cunningham, a captain in the Army reserves and a paratrooper, returned from Baghdad in December after spending a year proscuting contractor abuse in Iraq. In 2005, he also served a year at Fort Bragg.

At age 27, he was elected to serve one term in the state Senate in 2000. But he did not seek re-election after he was thrown into a heavily Republican district.

His wife, Elizabeth, was deputy campaign manager for D.G. Martin's unsuccessful bid for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in 1998.   

Cunningham was president of the UNC student body and later earned an advanced degree from the London School of Economics. He is a litigator with Kilpatrick Stockton in Winston-Salem.

Who else might run for U.S. Senate?

With Attorney General Roy Cooper dropping out of a long-expected run against Republican Sen. Richard Burr, only Durham lawyer Kenneth Lewis is left on the Democratic sid, and even he hasn't committed.

Here's a running list of other contenders:

* Richard Moore: Former state treasurer, failed Democratic gubernatorial candidate. Why he might run: Ambitious, rich pol who won statewide office twice. Why not: May have damaged brand with 2008 campaign.

* Brad Miller: Congressman, former state legislator. Why he might run: He was very publicly courted to run in 2008. Why not: He's just hitting his stride in the House; he may have personal issues.

* Cal Cunningham: Former state senator, U.S. Army reservist. Why he might run: He's reportedly interested in the race. Why not: He has low statewide name recognition and no current post to run from.

* Heath Shuler: Congressman, former NFL player. Why he might run: He spent 118 days publicly thinking it over earlier this year. Why not: He may be too conservative for a Democratic primary.

* Charles Meeker: Raleigh mayor who has been mentioned before. Why he might run: Served four terms as popular mayor of one of state's largest cities. Why not: That didn't help Pat McCrory win the governor's mansion.

* Grier Martin: Young turk in state legislature who turned down 2008 recruiting effort. Why he might run: Probably still kicking himself. Why not: Will need tons and tons of money for a guy with no statewide name recognition.

* Bob Etheridge: Congressman, former state schools superintendent. Why he might run: He's won statewide before and is known as an affable campaigner. Why not: He's just landed a spot on the powerful Ways and Means committee.

* Mel Watt: Congressman, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Why he might run: He managed Harvey Gantt's first campaign for Senate. Why not: He's got a can't-lose position in the House.

* Mike McIntyre: Congressman, member of the Blue Dog Coalition. Why he might run: He could match Burr on conservative issues in the general election. Why not: Those same stances would hurt him in a primary.

* Dan Blue: Former House speaker who recently moved over to the state Senate. Why he might run: He ran for Senate nomination in 2002. Why not: His politics may be too liberal for a statewide race; he'd have to give up his seat again.

* Elaine Marshall: Secretary of state now in her fifth term. Why she might run: She ran for the Democratic nomination in 2002. Why not: The longest-serving current member of the Council of State is in a comfortable job now.

* Janet Cowell: State treasurer, former state senator, former Raleigh councilwoman. Why she might run: She's a savvy pol who's climbed the ladder quickly already. Why not: After only a few months in statewide office, it might be too soon.

* Erskine Bowles: University of North Carolina system president, former Clinton chief of staff. Why he might run: He ran in 2002 and 2004. Why not: He lost both times; he's praised Burr; he's already thinking of retiring.

* Elizabeth Edwards: Health care advocate, wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards. Why she might run: She's vastly more popular among voters than her husband. Why not: That's not saying much.

A Democratic pollster wants to know who should run.

Raleigh firm Public Policy Polling is letting readers vote on its blog which of the following Democratic candidates it should poll against U.S. Sen. Richard Burr:

Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, state Sen. Linda Garrou, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre.

The firm has already tested Attorney General Roy Cooper and U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, two far more likely candidates for the Democratic nomination.

But pollster Tom Jensen said they wanted to see how more obscure challengers might fare against Burr to test his vulnerability.

Votes will be taken here until 10 a.m. Wednesday.