The old Jim Hunt crowd gathered in Raleigh on Friday for the groundbreaking of the library that will bear the former governor's name and for lunch at the Park Alumni Center at N.C. State University, Rob Christensen reports.

The crowd included a who's who from Hunt's 16 years as governor, including Jim Phillips, former chairman of the UNC Board of Governors; former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Burley Mitchell; Norris Tolson, a transportation secretary under Hunt; former Ambassador Jeanette Hyde; Hunt's former spokeman and strategist Gary Pearce; former Human Resources secretary Lucy Bode; former Cultural Resources secretary Betty McCain; former aide Ed Turlington, and former state Democratic chairwoman Barbara Allen.

Just to name a few. 

And what would a gathering of politicians be without a little fund raising? 

At the lunch, Hunt announced a $20 million fund raising campaign to help cover some of the costs of the library that will also serve as headquarters for the Institute for Emerging Issues, the think tank Hunt created.

"This is a marvelous opportunity," Hunt said. "It really is."

Ed Turlington, a Raleigh lawyer long plugged into state and national Democratic politics, has been elected to the Democratic National Committee.

He was one of 75 at-large delegates nominated by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the party chairman, and elected by the DNC at its meeting last weekend in Austin, Rob Christensen reports.

Also elected from North Carolina was Joyce Brayboy, the former chief of staff to Congressman Mel Watt of Charlotte.

Turlington was in some pretty good company having been chosen along with such major party figures as Elaine Kamarck, Maria Echaveste, Alexis Herman, Dennis Archer, Harold Ickes, Gerald McEntee, Anna Burger, John Sweeney, and Don Fowler.

Turlington was general chairman of John Edwards 2004 presidential campaign and was a top aide to Sen. Bill Bradley's 2000 campaign, as well being closely associated with such Tar Heel figures as former Gov. Jim Hunt and Sen. Terry Sanford.

He was apppointed to the DNC's Resolutions Committee. Appointed co-chair of the DNC's Credentials Committee was Everett Ward of Raleigh, a former executive director of the Democratic Party.

Bill Bradley's trip to North Carolina was set up in the spring.

The former New Jersey senator will speak at N.C. State's Millennium Seminar Series and he will also campaign on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The seminar series is run by First Lady Mary Easley.

N.C. State spokesman Keith Nichols said that Bradley was booked in the spring and will only speak on the conflict in Georgia and Russia. He said it is "up to the speaker" if they want to do other events while in North Carolina.

Bradley is receiving about $350 for hotel and transportation and an honorarium of $5,000 paid for by funds raised for the series. His transportation costs do not include travel to and from the Obama event in Chapel Hill.

"We do not subsidize campaign events," Nichols said.

Paul Cox, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, said that Bradley has been campaigning for Obama since the spring.

He said former Democratic Party executive director Ed Turlington, who has worked for Bradley in the past, got in touch with the Obama campaign to suggest that he do a campaign event while in town.

DENVER - The North Carolina delegation to the Democratic National Convention gathered Sunday night for the first time at an ice cream social -- although there was an open bar as well.

The gathering was in the lobby of the Doubletree Denver Tech Hotel, which is located miles from downtown in an office park off an interstate in suburb of Greenwood Village. The town, by the way, is so manicured and sterile that it makes Cary look like Greenwich Village by comparison, reports Rob Christensen.

The event attracted both newcomers such as Durham County commissioner Ellen Reckhow and 18-year-old Jared Hagemann of Camden as well as political veterans such as Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, former House Speaker Dan Blue of Raleigh and Raleigh attorney Ed Turlington.

Some people had been in Denver for days. Kevin Monroe, the state Obama political director, has been working on security. Gerry Cohen, a top staffer at the state legislature, has been serving on the convention credentials committee.

Former state Democratic chairman Wade Smith raised big bucks for Barack Obama this week.

Smith, a leading Raleigh defense attorney, hosted a fund raiser at his home, featuring Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett. She was introduced by Democratic Gov. Mike Easley, Rob Christensen reports.

Among those attending were former Gov. Jim Hunt.

Smith said it was one of the largest and most enthusiastic fund raisers he has ever held with well over 100 people jammed into house. But he was not certain how much was raised.

The event was organized by John Crumpler, a Raleigh businessman, long active in Democratic politics.

Admission was $1,000 per person. But to be a host a person had either give or agree to raise $10,000 for the Obama Victory Fund.

After the jump, a list of the hosts.

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The Barack Obama campaign Wednesday released a list of 50 former North Carolina supporters of John Edwards who are backing the Illinois senator in the May 6th primary.

Rob Christensen reports that the list included Congressmen David Price, and G.K Butterfield, former state House Majoirty leader Phil Baddour of Goldsboro, attorney Wade Byrd of Fayetteville, former state Democratic party chairs Libba Evans and Wade Smith, former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Henry Frye, and Jim Phillips, the chairman of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.

"We are going to be in the trenches helping him to do well," said Ed Turlington, a Raleigh attorney who was general chairman of Edwards’ 2004 presidential campaign.

Turlington and state Rep. Pricey Harrison said that Obama shared many of the ideas of Edwards on such issues as fighting poverty, and changing the culture of Washington.

Edwards, a former North Carolina senator who dropped out of the presidential race in January, has suggested that he and his wife Elizabeth were unlikely to endorse.

IOWA CITY, Iowa—Several hundred supporters of John Edwards have been pouring into Iowa during the final week of the campaign including a substantial delegation from North Carolina.

Among the Tar Heels that arrived in Iowa are Raleigh attorneys Ed Turlington, Bob Spearman and Gus Gusler and Raleigh public relations executive Joyce Fitzpatrick. Also in the state is former Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf, Rob Christensen reports.

"I thought it would be fun," said Waldorf. "It's a once in a lifetime experience."

The volunteeers have been manning the telephones and doing door-to-door canvassing to help Edwards in Thursday's criticial Iowa caucus.

John Edwards is bringing in the big guns for one last push before the second quarter ends.

The former North Carolina senator is calling together some of his biggest supporters, including former Gov. Jim Hunt, Raleigh attorney David Kirby and former UNC-Chapel Hill basketball coach Dean Smith, for one final push to raise money, Rob Christensen reports.

Edwards has scheduled a high dollar fund raiser for Saturday, June 30, at the home of Steve and Louise Coggins, neighbors of his summer homat on Figure 8 Island. The event will cost $2,300 for hosts, $1,000 for sponsors and $500 for patrons.

His campaign raised $14 million in the first quarter, but reportedly may have trouble matching that figure for the second quarter as it seeks to stay competitive with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

A list of the major attendees after the jump.

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It's not surprising that Raleigh lawyers by and large support John Edwards' campaign.

After all, he used to be one.

A quick look at Edwards' most recent campaign filing shows that he raised at least $98,650 from attorneys who live in Raleigh. (Not to mention their spouses, who often gave as well.)

The list includes his former partners, Wade Smith and David Kirby, natch, but also such notable local esquires as Burley Mitchell, Robert Zaytoun, Ed Turlington and Richard Gammon. In all, at least 42 lawyers contributed.

It's also worth noting which Raleigh lawyers gave to another Democrat:

* To Barack Obama: $1,000 from Michelle Cunningham and $2,300 from William Spruill, both of Alston & Bird LLP.

* To Hillary Clinton: $2,300 from Bruce Thompson of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein.

And on the Republican side:

* To John McCain: $2,000 from Peter Hans of Helms Mulliss & Wicker PLLC and $1,000 from Robert Sumner of Cranfill Sumner and Hartzog LLP.

* To Mike Huckabee: $1,000 from Anthony Biller of Coats & Bennett LLC, $1,000 from Camden Webb and $250 from Ronald Rogers, both of Williams Mullen Maupin Taylor.

* To Rudy Giuliani: $250 from Jeffrey Poley of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice.