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That movie we told you about a few months ago starring Will Ferrell and North Carolina's Zach Galifianakis has just finished shooting and is still aimed for an August release. But, as is Hollywood's way, the title has changed: Its working title was "Dog Fight," but now it's "The Campaign."
It's set in North Carolina and features the two comedians as politicians in a congressional district race.

Ferrell plays the four-term incumbent running for re-election against -- who else? -- Galifianakis. Politics is in Nick's family, by the way: His uncle, Nick Galifianakis was a state legislator and a member of congress, who once ran again Jesse Helms for Senate.

UPDATE: It may be set in North Carolina, but it was actually shot in Louisiana, which offers generous film incentives.

 

Opponents of the marriage amendment on the May ballot have tried to move the debate away from same-sex unions to a more common ground. They contend the amendment would endanger a wide range of legal benefits for all unmarried couples, including domestic violence protection, wills, employment benefits and custody agreements. Read more here.

--The campaign season is officially underway and the first congressional debate took place Saturday. In the 13th Congressional District race, Paul Coble played Mr. Insider and George Holding portrayed himself as Mr. Outsider concerning which candidate was best equipped to carry the conservative message to Washington. At the end, the rhetoric became testy. Read more here.

--A number of major UNC-backers in the state legislature are departing at the end of the year, prompting this question: Who will now speak up for the university in the halls of power? The answer isn't entirely clear, and the legislature is headed for even more turnover with this fall's election. But universities are already crafting a new message they hope will help them win friends among the unfamiliar faces. Read about the new strategy here.

--During the past decade, only three of North Carolina's 13 congressional districts changed parties. That is 65 House elections, and three party changes. In other words, there was about a 5 percent chance a congressman would lose. But 2012 will almost certainly bring big changes, due mainly to the redistricting plan passed by the Republican legislature - assuming it is upheld by the courts. Read Rob Christensen's column here.

The two-week candidate filing period ended at noon Wednesday with last-minute drama, as a would-be congressional candidate ran into the state elections agency in Raleigh seconds too late.

Forsyth Republican Party Chairman Nathan Tabor stopped his car in the middle of the State Board of Elections parking lot and ran into the building. He said the receptionist told him he made it just in time.

But a room away, elections chief Gary Bartlett announced the end of filing before Tabor entered. Seconds later Tabor stormed into the room. Bartlett told Tabor he was too late. Tabor plans to appeal to the full state elections board, which will make a decision March 6.

After considering the race for days, former Republican state Sen. Robert Pittenger told a Charlotte TV station he is running for Congress and forming a campaign team

Pittenger, who lost the 2008 lieutenant governor's race to Walter Dalton, is joining a crowded field in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, who is not seeking re-election to her Ninth Congressional District seat.

Frank Palombo’s congressional campaign takes exception with Dome’s recent characterization of his criticism of Rep. Walter Jones’ connection to a task force that recommended big cuts in military spending. Dome had to laugh that Palombo was tying Jones to liberal financier George Soros, who had connections to many of the task force members.

“Frank Palombo has never claimed George Soros and Congressman Walter Jones are friends,” campaign operations manager Ingrid Johansen said today. “We are simply pointing out the facts.”

The task force recommendations were not acted on, and Jones said he didn’t support its findings. “Congressman Jones’ attempts now to disassociate himself from the Sustainable Defense Task Force are too little too late,” Johansen said in an email.

 Still, does that connect the Republican congressman with the liberal Soros? The voters will decide, she said.

Bob Etheridge's congressional campaign committee donated $4,000 to his gubernatorial campaign. It's the maximum contribution because state law prohibits transferring federal campaign funds to state races, negating the approximately $140,000 still sitting in Etheridge's congressional account.

The donation is part of $5,200 in contributions that the former congressman reported in his new committee's organizational papers posted to the State Board of Elections website earlier this week.

Other donations to Etheridge's bid for the governor's mansion included $1,000 from Democratic Congressman David Price and two $100 contributions. 

Etheridge has yet to file official candidacy papers.

Cecil Bothwell, an Asheville City Council member who wants to run for Congress, performs a poem about cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol called  "The Use, the User, and the Used."

Bothwell's  congressional campaign website says he's "often described as a renaissance man," and is the author of books, songs and poems. The drug poem has a definite beat, but not a strong enough hook for a campaign theme. 

Bothwell wants the seat in the 11th Congressional District, now held by U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, who is not runing for reelection.

Hat Tip: Politico

What do Durham, Greenville and Rocky Mount have in common? (Other than they're all in North Carolina.)

They're all included the newly drawn 1st Congressional District and they are all on U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield's reelection announcement tour. 

Butterfield, an incumbent Democrat, will hold a campaign announcement and rally at the Durham Arts Council on Feb. 10. 

After years of being fully contained in the 4th Congressional District, Durham is divided among four districts, 1, 4, 6, and 13. 

U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, a Greensboro Republican, is expected to announce he will seek re-election at a press conference this afternoon.

Political observers speculated that Coble, 80, may not run for another term after he spent a prolonged period in the hospital in December. Upon his release, he said he would evaluate his future. A handful of Republicans have expressed interest in the 6th Congressional District if Coble didn't run. 

His announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. at his campaign headquarters in Greensboro.

The Democrats don’t appear as confident about unseating Republican members of Congress from North Carolina as they do from other states. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee didn't list any House seats currently held by Republicans on their first installment of "Red to Blue" races.

Chairman Steve Israel announced 36 races to be part of the committee’s first slate of top Democratic campaigns to win back the House. Israel listed Republican-held seats in California, Florida, and Ohio as some of the greatest opportunities for Democrats, but none from North Carolina. He acknowledged Republican-led redistricting has hampered their efforts. 

“I do not concede anything in North Carolina,” Israel said. “…Even before redistricting (Rep.) Mike McIntyre had races that were battle tested. They knew what they had to do. So I feel comfortable with our candidates, and our incumbents in North Carolina. But the Republicans did well in the maps that were drawn in North Carolina.”

Several Democrats, such as McIntyre of Lumberton, Rep. Heath Shuler of Bryson City, and Larry Kissell from Montgomery County, are considered vulnerable. The Republicans have called North Carolina their ground zero in efforts to build their House Majority.

Israel said the 2nd District seat held by freshman Congresswoman Renee Ellmers of Dunn could be added to the next round of “Red to Blue” races, but that an official Democratic challenger has yet to emerge.

Last month, Democrat Bob Etheridge said he is considering running for the congressional seat he lost last year to Ellmers.

Asked whether the committee would support Rep. David Price of Chapel Hill or Rep. Brad Miller of Raleigh in a potential head-to-head race, Israel said:

“The DCCC is officially and formally agnostic on any member to member primary.”