Sens. Julia Boseman and R.C. Soles Jr. spent the most of any competitive legislative candidate to win their seats.

Boseman, a Wilmington Democrat, spent $871,500 in her race and Soles, a Columbus County Democrat, spent $839,500, according to an analysis of campaign spending by the Program on Public Life at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The list of top spenders did not include candidates who ran unopposed and therefore excludes spending by Senate Leader Marc Basnight, $1.3 million, or House Speaker Joe Hackney, $744,000.

The top spenders in the House were Randy Stewart, a Nash County Democrat ($382,000) and House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat ($354,000).

Democrats control the House and Senate and have powerful fundraising machines in place. On the Republican side in the House, top spenders were Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican ($232,000) and House Republican Leader Paul Stam, an Apex Republican ($196,000).

Among Senate Republicans, top campaign spenders were Sen. Neal Hunt, a Wake County Republican ($813,000) and Richard Gunn, an Alamance County Republican, who spent $386,000, but lost the race to Sen. Tony Foriest, a Democrat.

The House and Senate agreed Wednesday afternoon to extend the budget deadline to July 31.

The bill allows the state to keep operating while budget negotiators lock horns over a final spending plan. Democrats, who control both chambers, say they need to raise as much as $1 billion in new taxes to avoid painful cuts to education and social services.

Republicans say the budget can be cut further without serious damage to the lives of state residents. Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican, noted that the temporary spending bill allows the state to operate at 84 percent of the last year's budget. 

"We do have the $17.6 billion that this authorizes us to spend," Lewis said. "Maybe the state government can join and share in some of the belt tightening that's going on in homes all over this state." 

The Senate wanted to extend the budget without a deadline. House Democrats, believing a deadline helps spur negotiators forward, insisted on one. Of course, the last temporary spending plan expired today and negotiators are still deadlocked. 

BECAUSE SHE SAYS SO: Gov. Beverly Perdue dropped a $1.6 billion list of proposed tax increases. The sugar meant to help the bitter pill go down: some of them are temporary. The Republicans were not convinced. Speaker Joe Hackney says Perdue's pitch could help budget negotiators actually get somewhere.

POLITICAL NUMBERS: The state wasted $635 million, or 25 percent of the money it spent on community services over three years. Meanwhile, Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican, launched a campaign to show that the Democrats are using faulty math in describing a budget deficit. And early this week, the legislature enacted its 272nd law of the still-going session.

BULGING INBOXES: Perdue toughened the state's policy on e-mail retention, wiping away nearly all of the discretion employees had on deciding whether a message should be kept. Some state government delete keys will appreciate the rest.

IN OTHER NEWS: Federal investigators continue to look at more details of Mary Easley's work at N.C. State University. A Senate team chugged milk fast enough to win $200 for charity. And in a debate over whether to make state laws gender neutral, Rep. George Cleveland, a Jacksonville Republican, noted that he had lots of respect for "the female race."

The atmosphere was more Thunderdome than Under the Dome at the annual House vs. Senate milk-chugging for charity contest Wednesday.

Pages and legislative assistants hollered for their favorite chamber ("Go Senate! Come on House!) and specators jockeyed for a view of six distiguished public officeholders sucking on straws jammed into tiny plastic milk bottles.

Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican, was not above a little pre-chug smack talk.

"This is the sound of your defeat," he said to his Senate opponents as he silently popped off the plastic cap of one of his milk bottles.

The contest was sponsored by the state's dairy industry and the Department of Agriculture.

Reps. Lewis, Arthur Williams (D-Washington) and Roger West (R-Marble) challenged Sens. Joe Sam Queen (D-Waynesville), Bob Atwater (D-Chapel Hill) and Andrew Brock (R-Mocksville).

It appeared to be a fair contest, although there were some rumblings about non-regulation straws and early chugging. The Senate team finished first, earning $200 for their favorite, as yet unnamed, charity. The House team will get $100 for charity.

(News & Observer photo by TAKAAKI IWABU).

Lewis, a Dunn Republican has launched a petition drive and an ad raliing against what he calls the "billion dollar lie."

Democrats describe the budget deficit as $4 billion or more. Republicans say that figure is intentionally misleading.

Revenue next year is expected to be more than $4 billion behind what it would have taken to keep funding programs and services at recent levels. Even measuring against this year's spending, which has been cut from what was approved in this year's budget, revenues are nearly $3 billion behind. Those figures do not account for approximately $1.3 billion in federal stimulus money, as the state historically has not calculated federal money in totaling up the general fund budget.

More after the jump.

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The House narrowly agreed to the Senate version of a smoking ban, sending to the governor a bill that would ban smoking in bars and restaurants.

"This bill has come a long way," said Rep. Hugh Holliman, the House Democratic leader and champion of the bill. "It's had a much debate as any bill has ever had in this state."

Gov. Beverly Pedue is expected to sign the bill into law. It's a law that might have been unthinkable just a few years ago in a state built on the tobacco industry.

The bill was approved 62 to 56. The original House version allowed smoking only in businesses that prohibited anyone under 18 from entering the premises. That exception generally excluded all bars from the ban. Restaurants complained that the exception would give bars a competitive advantage.

But the version adopted by the Senate removed the section of the bill that applied the ban to all workplaces.

Holliman said the compromise was "probably as good as you're going to do on a bill that's as far reaching as this." He held open the possibility that he would take another run at all workplaces later.

Opponents said the bill was an infringement on personal rights.

"This is about the freedom and rights to do on your property what you see fit," said Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican.

Update: In a statement, Gov. Beverly Perdue called it "an important and historic day for North Carolina."

"I have vigorously supported efforts to reduce and eliminate smoking and this bill will help more North Carolina citizens avoid the dangers of secondhand smoke," she said.

Maybe they were getting hungry.

As the night wore on, state representatives began talking less about hypothetical examples of how restaurants would fare under a smoking ban and more about their favorite greasy spoons.

Rep. Dale Folwell took the cake with references to four specific restaurants.

Toward the end of the debate, the Winston-Salem Republican mentioned three local restaurants that went smoke-free or limited smoking on their own: Cloverdale Kitchen, the Lighthouse Restaurant and Noble's Grille.

"For 43 years, I've been eating pancakes and lasagna and other things at a place called Cloverdale Kitchen," he said. "Cloverdale Kitchen a couple of years ago went non-smoking on their own and business increased."

He also noted that he liked to eat at Ted's Kickin Chicken in Winston-Salem on Thursday night for "biker night."

Rep. Cary Allred also name-checked Sharky's Grill in Burlington, while Rep. David Lewis noted that McDonald's has gone smoke-free. The Applebee's restaurant chain also came up at one point.

Rep. David Lewis tried to sink confirmation of two appointees to the Utilities Commission on the grounds that the state can't afford to pay two $123,000 salaries.

"My objection is not to the outstanding, fine individuals who have been asked to be named," Lewis said of Bryan Beatty and Susan Rabon. It was that a quarter of a million dollars could hire a whole lot of teachers.

The pair were appointed by the commission — which regulates utilities and utility rates — by Gov. Mike Easley as his tenure came to a close. Beatty was Easley's Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety. Rabon was a senior advisor to the governor. There are seven commissioners.

The Senate had previously confirmed the appointments. Lewis, a Dunn Republican, wanted to send the measure to a House appropriations committee, presumably to study whether the state could afford to pay the salaries.

That's when House members began to ask Lewis a series of questions that weren't really designed to gather information about Lewis' intentions.

"Do you realize they are already on board and already being paid?" asked Rep. Lorene Coats, a Salisbury Democrat.

Next was Rep. Bill Owens, an Elizabeth City Democrat, who asked Lewis if he knew the salaries were not paid from tax dollars but from utility fees.

The next question was form Speaker Joe Hackney: "Does the gentleman wish to withdraw his motion?"

Eventually, it was Lewis' turn to ask a question. He asked Hackney how he would go about withdrawing his motion.

Just say that, Hackney answered.

The commissioners were confirmed 112 to 5. Lewis voted for them.