N.C. House and Senate Republicans will select their leadership at caucus meetings Sunday afternoon in the law offices of Crumley and Associates in Greensboro.

Rep. Dale Folwell, a Forsyth County Republican who is wrapping up his two-year term as the leader of the joint legislative Republican caucus, will convene the meeting and then the House and Senate Republicans will split into separate groups to vote on their leaders, Dan Kane reports.

The meetings will be closed to the public, but Folwell said he will report the results immediately after.

On the Senate side, two are challenging Sen. Phil Berger, an Eden Republican seeking a third term, to be minority leader. They are Sens. Bob Rucho of Charlotte and Pete Brunstetter of Forsyth County.

On the House side, Folwell said so far there are no challengers to House Minority Leader Paul Stam of Apex, who is seeking his second two-year term. Rep. Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County is the sole announced candidate for Republican whip. The current holder of that job, Rep. Bill McGee of Forsyth County, is not seeking a second term, Folwell said.

A new joint caucus leader will also be selected from the Senate Republicans. Folwell said he is only aware of one candidate, state Sen. Eddie Goodall from Union County.

Bob Crumley will no longer appear in ads for his law firm.

The Republican candidate for state attorney general has long had his name and image in ads for Crumley and Associates which air in Greensboro, the Triangle and Charlotte. 

One ad, which did not explicitly mention it was for a law firm, raised concerns from open government advocates for lines such as "People helping people, that's part of our North Carolina heritage. For Bob Crumley, it's been his life."

Crumley argued the ads didn't violate campaign finance laws, but pulled the ads to avoid a fight with election officials. 

"I have bigger fish to fry right now," Crumley said, adding, "I think the position the (state) board of elections is taking is designed to affect a particular candidate and that candidate is me." 

He vowed to fight the issue after the campaign ends. (GN-R)

The races for open seats for lieutenant governor and state treasurer could be close contests, according to the latest results from Public Policy Polling.

But while most incumbents for Council of State offices enjoy "solid leads" in the latest survey, State Auditor Les Merritt, a Republican, trails Democratic challenger Beth Wood.

PPP surveyed 616 likely voters on May 8-9. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

The full results in the various Council of State races after the jump:

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Bob Crumley is requesting public records involving the creation of the state's e-mail deletion policy.

A press release calls the current e-mail policy "another example of Roy Cooper's failure of leadership."

An Asheboro attorney, Crumley is running for attorney general against Cooper.

Crumley says the current policy gives too much freedom to state employees in deciding whether to delete e-mails or save them.

He doesn't think the ability to destroy public records should be allowed without oversight, saying this ability is a violation of the state public records law.

Crumley is requesting "any and all public records related to the creation of this policy," but has not indicated what he hopes to find in the records.

Bob Crumley says Roy Cooper should respond on a public records flap. 

The Republican candidate for attorney general accused the Democratic incumbent of not doing enough to preserve public records.

A Cooper spokeswoman said earlier this week that he had no comment on the deletion of e-mails under a policy set by Gov. Mike Easley because of potential litigation.

In a press release, Crumley said that public records belong to North Carolinians, not to "Raleigh bureaucrats."

"Public records belong to the public,” he said in a statement. "Public officials who destroy them are breaking the law.  As Attorney General, I will stop them cold in their tracks."

A number of notables were in the audience at the Wake County Republican Party's annual President's Day Dinner tonight.

U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole; U.S. House candidates B.J. Lawson and Augustus Cho; state Sens. Richard Stevens and Neal Hunt; Reps. Nelson Dollar and Marilyn Avila; and state House candidates Bryan Gossage, Eric Weaver and Paul Terrell.

Also at the dinner: Gubernatorial candidates Fred Smith, Pat McCrory and Bob Orr; lieutenant governor candidates Greg Dority and Bob Pittenger; and attorney general candidate Bob Crumley.

A few judges and judicial candidates were also at the audience: state Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds, Appeals Court judges Ann Marie Calabria and Donna Stroud, Appeals Court candidates John Tyson and Bob Hunter, Wake County District Court Judge Jennifer Green.

And a few local officials: Wake County commissioners Kenn Gardner and Joe Bryan and Register of Deeds Laura Riddick. Wake GOP chairman David Robinson came back to the podium later to note that he had left omitted "an individual who is most likely armed" — Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison.

Another noted guest was in the audience: Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms' wife, Dot.

The loudest applause of the night went to Helms, Harrison and Avila, the former county chairwoman.

Roy Cooper celebrated the expansion of the state crime lab today.

At a ceremony in Raleigh, the state attorney general commemorated the opening of a 22,000-square-foot addition to the State Bureau of Investigation's facilities.

The new lab will house 32 experts, who will analyze crime scene evidence submitted by local law enforcement officials across the state.

Cooper successfully lobbied for funding of new analysts and a second facility by 2008 in the Triad during the recent legislative session.

Still, he took some heat from a Republican rival.

Bob Crumley, who is seeking the nomination to run against Cooper in 2008, said the expansions are long overdue. He said the main lab has a backlog of evidence to process.

"You've got criminals who know if they go out and commit a crime, it'll take 15 to 18 months to get the evidence back," he said. "Where's the swift and sure punishment there?"

Bob Crumley will begin his campaign for Attorney General tonight.

The Randolph County attorney and businessman will hold a "Wake County Kick-Off" for the Republican nomination at 5 p.m. at the North Ridge Country Club.

Guests include U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, former Gov. Jim Holshouser, former Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake, former House Speaker Harold Brubaker, House Republican Leader Paul Stam and other local officials.

Crumley is the founder of Crumley & Associates, a civil-based law firm with 10 offices statewide.

He has been endorsed by state Auditor Les Merritt, Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry and Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler in his campaign to replace incumbent Democrat Roy Cooper.