Who's in the Tobacco Growers' Caucus?

After Dome noted which legislators represented major cigarette manufacturing employers in North Carolina, a reader noted that others represent tobacco growers.

According to records at the N.C. Department of Agriculture, 11 counties each produced more than $20 million worth of tobacco in 2007: Sampson, Johnston, Wilson, Wayne, Nash, Pitt, Lenoir, Harnett, Greene, Edgecombe and Duplin.

That means the following members represent growers:

In the House: Reps. Larry Bell, James Langdon, Leo Daughtry, Jean Farmer-Butterfield, Joe Tolson, Van Braxton, Efton Sager, Lucy Allen, Angela Bryant, Randy Stewart, Marian McLawhorn, Edith Warren, Arthur Williams, William Wainwright, David Lewis, Jimmy Love, and Russell Tucker.

In the Senate: Sens. Charlie Albertson, David Rouzer, A.B. Swindell, Don Davis, Clark Jenkins, and Harris Blake.

During a 2007 House vote, Reps. Bell, Farmer-Butterfield, Allen, Bryant, Wainwright, Love, and Tucker voted for a smoking ban, while Langdon, Daughtry, Tolson, Braxton, McLawhorn, Warren, Williams, and Lewis voted against it.

Sager and Stewart were not in the House at the time.

The State Employees Assocation of N.C. announced its endorsements in legislative primary races.

The group, which represents 55,000 state workers, endorsed 13 candidates for the state House and 12 candidates for state Senate through its political action committee.

Seven of the candidates are Republicans: Rep. Jeff Barnhart; House candidates George Shaeffer, Sidney Sandy, Nalin Mehta and Shirley Randleman; and Sens. Fletcher Hartsell and Jim Jacumin.

In two cases, it endorsed candidates running against each other: state Sen. Vern Malone and rival Ann Akland; and Senate candidates Jack Nichols and Josh Stein.

In the House, the PAC also endorsed Reps. Angela Bryant, Edith Warren and Drew Saunders and candidates Robert Richardson, Greg Taylor, Charles Graham, Betty Mangum and Ric Marshall.

In the Senate, it endorsed Sens. Floyd McKissick, Ellie Kinnaird, Katie Dorsett and Steve Goss and candidates Shelly Willingham and Chuck Stone.

"We're happy to be able to support candidates who care about quality public services and the employees who work so hard to make this state one of the best places to live," said PAC chairwoman Paula Schubert in a statement.

House Speaker Joe Hackney has appointed the six-member committee that will look into allegations against Rep. Thomas Wright.

According to an announcement from Hackney's office, the committee will have the same House members as the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, which is also looking into Wright.

The two committees are needed because of the nature of the allegations and the relevant laws in place at the time. (For more on that, visit the Tavern.)

Rep. Rick Glazier will chair the committee and House Minority Leader Paul Stam will be vice chair.

The other members are: Reps. Marvin Lucas, Bill McGee, Edith Warren and Laura Wiley.

Glazier, Lucas and Warren are Democrats; Stam, McGee, and Wiley are Republicans.

George Clooney may be a Hollywood liberal, but in North Carolina his name is budget magic.

Rep. Phil Haire, a Jackson County Democrat, convinced the House Appropriations Committee today to shift $50,000 in movie recruitment money to western North Carolina after pointing out that Clooney is shooting a movie at locations between Charlotte and Greensboro, Dan Kane reports.

"Leatherheads," a romantic comedy involving an aging football hero, is slated for release later this year.

Haire proposed taking the $50,000 from a $100,000 allocation to recruit movie productions to Eastern North Carolina. That had Rep. Edith Warren, a Farmville Democrat, up in arms. She said that money is needed to grow film making in her region.

Haire, a chief budget writer, chided Warren.

"I may not be able to get you George Clooney's autograph if you oppose my amendment, Edith," Haire said.

The amendment passed 48-16.

Political action committees associated with four major tobacco companies gave about $28,000 since 2000 to 11 of the 17 Democrats who voted against the smoking ban.

As Dome noted earlier, they were the crossovers who went against party line, helping defeat the bill.

Lorillard, R.J. Reynolds, Standard Commercial Tobacco, Philip Morris and its parent company Altria gave mostly small donations of $250, $500 or $1,000 through their PACs, typical of their contributions to other legislators.

The biggest recipient was Rep. Nelson Cole of Reidsville, who got $8,750 between 2000 and 2006. Rep. James Crawford of Oxford received $5,500 during that same time period.

Both represent tobacco-growing areas in North Carolina.

Reps. R. Van Braxton, Walter Church, Mary McAllister, Timothy Spear and Edith Warren were not listed on campaign finance reports filed by the tobacco companies' PACs.

Among the Republicans who voted for the bill, Rep. Julia Howard received $4,200 and Rep. Jeff Barnhart received $2,250.