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The fallout from romantic relationships between lobbyists and top staffers in House Speaker Thom Tillis' office continues.

The Coastal Conservation Association cut ties with contract lobbyist Dean Plunkett a day after Tillis disclosed a relationship with one of his staffers, Amy Hobbs, who is expected to resign this week.

Senate leader Phil Berger raised more than $320,000 so far this year, putting his campaign war chest on par with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Etheridge.

Berger isn't seeking statewide office but he does face a Republican primary challenger in his re-election bid. As the Senate leader, he is also in a strong position to raise campaign cash from those interested in influencing the process.

The all-star lineup for the N.C. Republican Party convention is adding another name: one-time Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty.

The former Minnesota governor, who left the presidential race after just four months, will address the GOP faithful at a luncheon event June 2. Donald Trump is the headline speaker at the convention Friday evening. And more big-name guests are expected to be announced in coming weeks, including a keynote speaker Saturday.

For North Carolina political junkies, today is a day of what-ifs. Earlier this year, as the Republican presidential primary took the slow ride through the campaign season, it appeared North Carolina voters would play a role in picking the nominee.

And today is the day the spotlight would have shifted to the Tar Heel state. With 55 delegates, North Carolina is the biggest prize between now and the end of the month when Texas votes. It seemed like Newt Gingrich would try to keep the campaign moving, but now word is he will suspend his campaign next week. And Rick Santorum ended his run earlier this month. So now Mitt Romney is cruising to the nomination.

So no bus tours or presidential rallies. But given the state's battleground status, just wait for the fall.

A three-judge panel hearing a redistricing lawsuit ruled that  private lawyers who legislative Republicans paid with taxpayer money must make their redistricting documents public.

Lawyers for Democrats and non-profits suing over the redistricting plans sought documents used to prepare the redistricting maps. The three-judge panel ruled Friday that the documents private lawyers produced are public record.

After the redistricting maps become law, all information requests to legislative employees and documents prepared by legislative employees on redistricting matters become public record.

Lawyers for Democrats and the non-profits fighting the redistricting plans also wanted to see information prepared by private lawyers Thomas Farr and Michael Carvin, private lawyers GOP legislative leaders hired to give them redistricting advice.

Their law firms are legislative employees, the three-judge panel, because they each served as consultants and counsel to legislators and were paid with state money.

State lawmakers made their presence known Tuesday in two different contexts: a move to overhaul the UNC Health Care system and another to require the legislature's authority to sell Dorothea Dix Hospital. The UNC Health Care bill was rushed through a legislative committee but Senate Republicans are suggesting its dead on arrival. The plan for the Dix property is a blow to Raleigh and Gov. Bev Perdue, who is pushing for its sale.

In other headlines:

--John Edwards repaid $2.1 million in public matching funds he received after dropping out of the 2008 campaign amid a sex scandal.

--Rick Santorum's exit from the GOP presidential race recasts the N.C. primary May 8, political observers say.

--A Republican congressional candidate in the hotly contested 9th District race announced his opposition for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, striking out on unfamiliar territory in a campaign for conservatives' support.

--Condoleezza Rice told a Duke University crowd that one of the biggest regrets of her tenure in the Bush administration is the failure to pass immigration reform.

A new Web video from the N.C. Democratic Party hits Republican lawmakers for cutting state education funding -- reinforcing the results of a recent survey that puts the issue squarely on Jones Street.

N.C. Policy Watch, a liberal outfit, released poll numbers Monday showing that 50 percent of voters blame the state legislature for cuts to education, compared to 21 percent who fault Gov. Bev Perdue and 19 percent point the finger at the federal government.

The two-minute Democratic Party video -- featuring former Gov. Jim Hunt, Perdue and state lawmakers -- is meant to stir the party's base. It rehashes a "war" mantra the party used to criticize lawmakers for budget cuts hurting women. 

House Speaker Thom Tillis sent an email Monday urging lawmakers not to travel to Raleigh for this month's legislative mini-session. After consultation with Senate leader Phil Berger, Tillis promised no votes when the state legislature convenes for a three-day term April 23.

"There will be no recorded votes and only a limited number of members will attend.  Unless you have other business in Raleigh, we encourage you to defer per diem and session compensation for the time the legislature is technically in session," Tilis wrote.

UPDATED: Americans for Prosperity is adding a road tour to its campaign supporting the state budget.

The tour starts in Burlington on Monday and ends in Rockingham on Wednesday. AFP has been running television and radio ads emphasizing GOP talking points. The tour features an N.C. Real Solutions mobile billboard, which publicizes the pro-budget campaign slogan and website.

AFP's efforts also will include a robocall to homes in the areas where its TV ad aired last month. The call features much of the same claims as the TV ad -- see fact checks here and here.

--Lynn Bonner and John Frank

If you listen to the Washington punditocracy, Mitt Romney's three-fold victory Tuesday effectively ends the Republican presidential contest, meaning North Carolina's May 8 primary isn't likely to matter as much in the grand scheme.

GOP rival Rick Santorum contends he still has a fighting chance and his campaign is betting the house on the former U.S. senator's home state of Pennsylvania, which votes April 24. If he can win -- and find enough money to keep the beleaguered campaign moving -- political operatives say his next target is certainly North Carolina and its 55 delegates. (Read about his shadow campaign here.)

Romney leads the delegate count with 655 compared to Santorum's 278, according to an Associated Press tally. So even if the race comes to North Carolina, it appears like Romney would control the day.