Mary Fant Donnan has picked up more endorsements.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for state labor commissioner was endorsed last week by the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Durham Committee for the Affairs of Black People and the N.C. Association of Educators.

"I'm honored to have received the endorsement of all of these organizations," she said in a statement. "I think this shows that people know we need to move the Labor Department in a new direction and feel I'm the best qualified candidate to do that."

Previously, Donnan was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, former Labor Commissioner Harry Payne and two former Democratic opponents.

She faces former Labor Commissioner John C. Brooks in a primary runoff on June 24. 

The Simkins PAC, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker are endorsing Kay Hagan.

The Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate impressed the Journal and Meeker with her experience in North Carolina politics, particularly in the legislature.

Meeker will be attending the Wake County Convention on Saturday in Hagan's behalf.

The Greensboro-based Simkins PAC and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People cited Hagan's advocacy for minority rights.

While in the General Assembly, Hagan supported initiatives to help minorities, voted to increase the minimum wage and supported the use of $8 million for gang violence prevention, the two groups said in a press release.

"I'm so honored that both of these organizations have chosen to endorse my candidacy for the U.S. Senate," Hagan said a statement.

Two African-American groups have endorsed David Young.

Over the weekend, the political action committee of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the George C. Simkins Memorial PAC in Greensboro endorsed Young for state treasurer.

"My campaign will continue to focus on spreading our message about protecting North Carolina’s financial future and working to create opportunities in education, economic development, job creation, and health care," said Young in a statement.

Young, a Buncombe County commissioner, is running for the Democratic nomination.

Endorsements helped in 1998.

Following up on our recent posts on the value of endorsements, Dome's colleagues pointed us to the 1998 Democratic primary.

That year, endorsements helped then-unknown attorney John Edwards win a seven-person race.

In that race, Edwards was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the N.C. Association of Educators, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, among others.

The endorsements from black groups were notable, since there were two African-American candidates in the primary as well.

Of course, as Rob Christensen pointed out in a May 11, 1998, column, it also helped that Edwards spent $3.2 million of his own money on his campaign, including extensive television ads.

Endorsements didn't help in 2000.

The last time that there was an open race for governor, Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker squared off against Attorney General Mike Easley in the Democratic primary.

In that race, Wicker was endorsed by the N.C. Association of Educators and the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers as well as major black political groups: the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the Simkins PAC in Greensboro.

(The Sierra Club endorsed both Easley and Wicker.)

According to a May 24, 2000, article in the News & Record, Easley won over many black voters with an intensive campaign that included poll workers in T-shirts that promised cheaper prescriptions and smaller schools and radio ads and mailers featuring Harvey Gantt.

Easley's campaign manager was Jay Reiff, who is now working for Richard Moore.

All gubernatorial endorsements are not created equal.

Earlier, we noted that UNC-Charlotte Professor Ted Arrington is skeptical that Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's rack of endorsements will help in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

But there is one group—or rather a set of groups—that Arrington thinks could make a difference.

Those are the black voters' groups in each of North Carolina's major cities that routinely make political endorsements: The Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, The Simkins PAC in Greensboro and The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

That's because the groups generally have a good reputation in the black community and they work hard to inform voters.

"They will have people right outside the doors of the precincts with a marked ballot," he said.

Still, Arrington said the groups may choose to skip endorsements in the primary.