With the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee trying to recruit former state Sen. Cal Cunningham into the race, Elaine Marshall has issued a poll memorandum arguing why she would be a strong opponent of Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.

The memo by her pollster, Celinda Lake, notes that in every poll taken this year, Burr has failed to gain majority support, Rob Christensen reports.

"Burr's reelection numbers are among the lowest in the nation with just one-fifth of the voters (21 percent) indicating their plans to support his reelection," writes Lake. The memo argues that Marshall, the Secretary of State who has announced her candidacy, is as strong in the polls as Congressman Bob Etheridge, who the senatorial committee had tried to recruit into the race. Etheridge announced last week that he would not be a candidate for the Senate.

"In sum," writes Lake, "Senator Burr is vulnerable. Voters have a net-unfavorable impression of him and a strong plurality is ready to vote for someone else. Secretary Marshall is well-liked and a strong competitor against Burr. Her record of service and her fund raising capabilities makes her the Democrat to beat in the race."

The memo does not mention Cunningham, the former state senator and Iraqi war veteran from Lexington, who the committee is trying to recruit into the race.

Former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker said Wednesday that he would not challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.

Wicker, a Raleigh lawyer and a Democrat, said he seriously considered a Senate bid this time and received strong encouragement to take the plunge, Rob Christensen reports.

"The demands of raising $15 million to $20 million is just an enormous amount of money," Wicker said.

He also cited the demands of a relatively young family and a full-time law practice.

"Richard Burr is going to be a tough opponent," Wicker said. "But it is a winnable race for a Democrat. About this time in the 2008 election cycle the Democrats were scrambling for a candidate, when Kay Hagan said yes then said no and then came back and said yes. A year is an eternity in politics. It may not look like a great year for Democrats. But it can change quickly, particularly if the economy improves."

Wicker is a former state House majority leader and was a candidate for governor in 2000.

There are two Democrats who have announced their candidacy: Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Chapel Hill lawyer Kenneth Lewis. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been trying to convince former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, an Iraq veteran who previously decided not to run, to enter the race.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge previously decided not to run.

POLITICAL WIND: A decision by the U.S. Capitol Police suggesting that pigs were a threat to spread H1N1 to humans created an unlikely alliance between People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat and farmer. The police were wrong, he wrote, in their reason for denying permission for PETA to blow hog-waste infused air toward Congress. Pigs don't give H1N1 to people, he explained. (N&O)

UNLIKELY ARTIST: The African American man who painted a portrait of Jesse Helms had heard of the North Carolina senator, but didn't know much about him. Rene Dickerson, whose art often focuses on scenes of African American culture, struggled to get the caucasian flesh tone right. (N&O)

MACKEY PLEA: State Rep. Nick Mackey pleaded guilty Tuesday to contempt of court for his failure to show up for a December 2007 trial of a client and had his sentencing indefinitely set aside. Mackey, a Charlotte Democrat, faces a hearing next month before the N.C. State Bar's disciplinary hearing commission over allegations that he failed to pay taxes on time and poorly represented a client. (Charlotte Observer)

Dan Mansell, a Selma businessman and local Republican leader, will make another run at the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge.

Mansell, 52, announced last week that he's a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2nd congressional district. He has run for the seat twice before.

A former 2nd district Republican Party chairman, Mansell is nanaging partner of Demco Construction Services, a coating and fireproofing inspections and consulting firm.

Etheridge announced Friday he will not run for the U.S. Senate.

Congressman Bob Etheridge said Friday that he would not challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year, despite a concerted effort by the national Democratic Party to coax him into the race.

The decision is another setback for the Democrats, who earlier this year failed to entice Attorney General Roy Cooper into the race, Rob Christensen reports. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has turned its attention to former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, an Iraq War veteran from Lexington, who had spent several months exploring a Senate bid, before announcing Monday that he would not be a candidate.

Etheridge, a veteran Congressman, former superintendent of public instruction, former legislator and former Harnett County commissioner, is one of the Tar Heel Democratic Party's proven commodities. Etheridge said he looked at the Senate race strongly this time but in the end, "I just decided not to do it."

UPDATE: National Republican senatorial campaign spokesman Colin Reed said Etheridge's decision leaves a big hole in the Democrats' recruiting class and shows that Democrats "on the ground in North Carolina have a much different view of this race than party officials in Washington."

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GRADE STIMULUS: A Goldsboro middle school was lambasted this week for its plan to award extra test points — enough to raise a letter grade — in exchange for cash contributions for the school. The lesson for students: Hard work, perseverance and positive attitude will be rewarded. And if that doesn't work, a nice crisp $20 couldn't hurt.

CHOPPED LIVER; The race for the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Richard Burr got lots of attention this week. Lexington lawyer Cal Cunningham is out. U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge is going for a new fence-sitting record. Two others are thinking about it. All the buzz about candidates who aren't running can't be flattering to the only two people who are: lawyer Kenneth Lewis and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

SHE'S BACK: Gov. Bev Perdue got a big bump in her job approval, apparently because of her refusal to release violent inmates despite a court ruling. Perdue has been hitting the public events pretty hard and making big announcements. A few more ribbon cuttings and another stand at a jail-house door and Perdue might just be liked again.

IN OTHER NEWS: Sen. Martin Nesbitt appears to have a lock on the job of Senate majority leader...The state's pension fund is beginning to recover from a financial slump...Barack Obama's campaign was the source of the tip that John Edwards got $400 haircuts.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge has still has not issued a statement on whether he will challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.

But Dome would be shocked if he announces for the Senate. The word in Democratic circles is that Etheridge has decided to seek re-election to his House seat.

Etheridge has been heavily courted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee since last spring as the strongest potential challenger to Burr. But Etheridge has always been politically cautious and has passed on Senate races in the past. And he recently gained a coveted seat on the House Ways and Means Committee.

The Lillington Democrat has already told the senatorial committee his decision, but they asked him to put off an announcement for a day or two.

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North Carolinians appear to be a bit more satisfied with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

The latest survey by Public Policy Polling shows that the numbers have improved slightly for Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican who is up for re-election next year.

PPP surveyed 711 North Carolina voters from Nov. 9-11. They found that 40 percent of North Carolinians approve of the job Burr is doing, while 31 percent disapprove. That's better than the 38 percent rating Burr got in last month's poll by PPP, and 36 percent in September.

Burr leads U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (45-35), Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (45-34), former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker (45-33), Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy (44-32), and Chapel Hill attorney Ken Lewis (45-32).

The survey's margin of error was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

TO RUN OR NOT TO RUN: For much of the fall, U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge has played the role of a political Hamlet as he decides whether to seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr next year.

Etheridge had initially indicated he would not run for the Senate this time, but key Senate leaders prevailed on him to reconsider underscoring the importance of the national parties in Senate races. The Democrat's Senate organization was a crucial player in Kay Hagan's victory over incumbent Elizabeth Dole. (N&O)

GRADES OFF THE MARKET: The Wayne County school system has ordered an end to a fundraiser that allowed parents to buy extra credit for their children. The system says it may take further action. (N&O)

OBAMA MART: The store in Kabul is a taxpayers nightmare. Named after the U.S. president (it was Bush Mart, but Obama Mart is gaining acceptance), the store is chocked full of items that were clearly meant for U.S. soldiers or Marines but are now being sold to Afghans. Military officials say they monitor the stores for sensitive items. (N&O)

Former Lt Gov. Dennis Wicker says if his friend U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge doesn't get into the Senate race, he might.

"The truth is I am continuing to talk to people who encourage me to run," Wicker told Rob Christensen. "If he (Etheridge) were to rule it out, it would increase my interest. Right now I continue to listen to people."

"I realize that the time frame is getting tighter," Wicker said, "but this is something I continue to think about."

Wicker, a Sanford resident who practices law in Raleigh, is a former state House majority leader and two-term lieutenant governor, who lost the Democratic primary for governor to Mike Easley in 2000.

He said it would take a strong candidate to defeat Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.