Gov. Mike Easley has reimbursed the state for a campaign trip.

The N.C. Department of Commerce received a $7,880 check this week from the Mike Easley Committee to pay for a flight from Southport to Chicago in June.

The trip in a state-owned Cessna was so that Easley could attend an economic summit held by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

The Mike Easley Committee is the governor's official campaign committee. That state required reimbursement because the travel was for a political purpose.

It reported having $509,976 in cash on hand at the end of June.

Gov. Mike Easley's plane just landed in Southport.

After attending an economic summit held by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in Chicago this morning, Easley flew back to the Brunswick County airport on a state-owned Cessna Citation Bravo, Ben Niolet reports.

Spokesman Seth Effron said that Easley does not have any public events scheduled "at this time" down East this weekend, so he will reimburse the state for the flight.

"The taxpayers will not pay any expenses related to this travel," he said.

Easley left Raleigh-Durham International airport at 4 p.m. Thursday for Chicago Midway International and landed at 2:25 p.m. today in Brunswick County.