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With the economy in the ditch, North Carolina voters are down on just about all their major elected officials, Democrat or Republican.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr, who was re-elected in a landslide last November, has an approval rating of 32 percent and a disapproval rating 43 percent, according to a survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic leaning firm based in Raleigh.

Of the 74 senators of which PPP has polled this year, only three – Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Republican John McCain of Arizona – have worst numbers than Burr, according to the firm.

Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan is near the bottom with an approval rating of 39 percent and a disapproval rating of 43 percent, the poll found.

Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue has an approval rating of 37 percent and a disapproval rating of 51 percent.

The Republicans in the legislature have an approval rating of 36 percent and a disapproval rating of 48 percent. The Democrats in the legislature have an approval rating of 38 percent and a disapproval rating of 47 percent.

Democratic President Barack Obama has an approval rating of 44 percent and a disapproval rating of 53 percent.

All of this is based on a survey of 760 North Carolina voters taken Sept. 30-Oct. 3 with a margin of error of 3.6 percent.

North Carolina's Richard Burr is confirming that he will seek the No. 2 Republican leadership post in the next U.S. Senate.

Burr's name first surfaced as a possible right-hand man for Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky last month. But he made his intentions clear in a statement first reported by Washington media outlets Monday evening and provided to The News & Observer on Tuesday.

"I intend to run for whip, but that race is a long way off," Burr said in the statement. "Until then, I will be concentrating on my current responsibilities as chief deputy whip as well as my legislative agenda.  There are a lot of issues facing our nation and the Senate, and that is where I am focusing my efforts."

In his bid to replace Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, who is retiring, Burr likely will face a challenge from Texas Sen. John Cornyn. The new leadership vote among Republican senators won't take place until after the 2012 elections.

The GOP whip is responsible for keeping the caucus in line and counts votes on key legislation. The lawmaker who gets the position is an assumed replacement if McConnell were to resign as Senate Republican leader.

Elon University released more poll results Monday that showed North Carolinians are split 35 percent to 36 percent on President Barack Obama's jobs bill. The results reflect the thoughts of all state residents -- not registered voters.

“Given the current economic situation and levels of unemployment in the state, citizens are paying close attention to any proposal that may bring jobs and economic stability to the state,” said Mileah Kromer, assistant director of the Elon University Poll. “For the president, the jobs bill isn’t just about growing the economy, it’s also about convincing voters that he deserves another four years in office.”

For the full results read below.

Sen. Richard Burr’s signature mode of transportation – the 1974 VW Thing that he has driven around D.C. for most of the past two decades – took a star turn in today’s edition of the Washington political publication Roll Call.

A Roll Call staffer spun out a whole story about the vintage Volkswagen, which was a popular car in the early seventies that was the commercial version of a WWII military vehicle. Burr’s beat-up car is also a curio for its billboard-like display of political bumper stickers.

The reporter took a spin around the Capitol in it with the senator at the wheel. It drew the attention of a pedicab driver who, at stoplight, asked is he was Mr. Burr.

North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr could be a dark horse candidate for the number two job in the Senate, POLITICO is reporting.

Most of the attention has focused on Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who has announced his intention to run for the Senate GOP whip job that is now held by Arizona Sen. John Kyl, who will retire at the end of next year..  South Dakota Sen. John Thune has also been giving some thought to the post.

But Burr, who serves as chief deputy whip, says he may also enter the race.

“I think I may run for whip, and I think that’s still very much in the cards,” Burr told POLITICO.

With summer coming to an end, members of Congress are cranking up their fund raising machines with events in D.C. at golf courses, in the mountains and at the beach.

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx of Banner Elk will hold a fund raiser on September 14th at the Associated General Contractors of America Townhouse in Washington. Cost is $1,000 for a political action committee.

On September 15, Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro, will hold her monthly Women's Senate Network Lunch in Washington. Hagan is network chair, which is part of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which raises money for women Democratic senators and Senate candidates. donors can give as much as $30,800 to the events.

Republican Rep. Walter Jones of Farmville, will hold a two-day “fall fling” at The Sanderling Resort in Duck on Sept. 16th. Cost of the event for two days is $2,500 or one day is $1,000.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr will hold a fund raising golf outing for his Next Century Fund at the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines Sept. 16-17th. The cost is $2,000 for a political action committee and $1,500 for an individual. The fund allows Burr to contribute money to other candidates.

Democratic Rep. Health Shuler of Bryson City will hold a Biltmore Estate Weekend Oct 21-23 in Asheville. Cost is $5,000.

Hat tip: The Sunlight Foundation.

Democratic Congressman David Price has sharply criticized a proposal by Republican Sen. Richard Burr to fold the Small Business Administration into the Department of Commerce, calling it “an incredibly wrong-headed move” for the economy.

Burr has proposed merging the SBA and the Department of Labor into a newly created Department of Commerce and Workforce as one of several proposals he has made to streamline the federal government.

But Price said submerging the SBA into Commerce would hurt the program just as small businesses are trying to recover from a weak economy.

“Senator Burr's bill ending the Small Business Administration as we know it is an incredibly wrong-headed move for North Carolina families in this time of fragile recovery,” Price said.

“Small businesses are our engines of job creation across North Carolina, and in our state the SBA's Small Business Innovation Research program has helped hundreds of  businesses and created thousands of jobs.”

Burr spokesman David Ward said that SBA would be given an enhanced position in the proposed new agency, with equal footing to the departments of commerce and labor, and would also be in a better position to coordinate its programs with other federal agencies.

“More than two years into an administration that has burdened small businesses with every possible kind of job killing regulation,” Burr said, “I am intrigued by Congressman Price's newfound interest in the issues facing America's job creators.”

“However, it is apparent to me that he did not take the time to read my bill,” Burr said.

Price compared the Burr effort to submerge SBA into commerce with efforts of the administration of President George W. Bush cut funding for the program in half and throw it out of the Cabinet.

North Carolina's two senators, Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Kay Hagan, will be in Fayetteville Monday and Tuesday for the 10th Annual North Carolina Defense Trade Show.

The trade show brings together major defense companies, North Carolina firms, and military officials to talk business.

Burr and Hagan are sponsors along with Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell, the N.C. Military Business Center, the N.C. Defense Business Association, the Partnership for Defense Innovation, and the University of North Carolina.

Hagan will speak at a NC Defense Business Association lunch on Monday, and Defense Trade Show Vendor breakfast on Tuesday and will help kick off the trade show Tuesday morning at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

Burr will speak at a Defense Trade Show dinner Monday night and give remarks at the opening the Trade Show Tuesday.

Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan has raised $221,244 in campaign contributions this year and has $356,098 as of June 30th, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Her contributions came from a wide variety of North Carolinians, Washington lobbyists, and from ActBlue, which acts as a clearing house for Democratic donations.

Her donations were evenly divided between individuals and political action committees.

Among her PAC donations were the United Services Automobile Association, Home Depot Inc., National Rural Letter Carriers, New York Life Insurance Co., Boeing Company, the Property Casualty Insurers Association,  General Electric Co., FMC Corp., Becton Dickinson and Co., Siemens Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group.

Coming off a re-election campaign in November, Republican Sen. Richard Burr has done little money raising. He reported raising $34,022 during the first six months of the year and had $1.1 million cash on hand in his campaign committee.

He didn't need to spend all of his money in defeating his cash-deprived Democrat Elaine Marshall last November.

He reported paying $2,348 for meals at the Capitol City Club in Washington D.C. and $9,000 to Capitol Communications, his consulting firm headed by Paul Shumaker, and $3,600 to Brand Intelligence Group in Winston-Salem, a social media company.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr and Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer are urging the Defense Department to address “the state of disrepair” of many of the schools at U.S. military bases.

A recent investigation by IWatch News found substandard conditions at three in four Defense Department run schools around the world. It found that in many of the 353 school were either beyond repair or need extensive renovation.

“Our military children should have educational facilities that enhance their learning, not facilities that cause distractions from learning or present real or potential hazards,” said the letter written by Burr and Boxer, who chair the Senate Military Family Caucus.

The letter was signed by 12 senators – seven Democrats, four Republicans and one independent.