Robert Pittenger took a swipe at the state Senate.

Speaking at a Raleigh rally today, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor and former state senator said that the Democratic majority in the Senate has overruled the GOP minority, especially during the recent budget negotiations.

"There's less freedom of speech in the North Carolina Senate than there is the Russian Duma," he said.

He said that Senate Democrats have "ramrodded" the budget and other bills, ruling Republican amendments out of order "on a daily basis." He said Democrats have avoided voting on serious issues and called his opponent, Sen. Walter Dalton, the "No. 2 pork barrel spender" in the state.

"When I have this gavel in my hand, we're going to have an open democracy in North Carolina," he said.