Elizabeth Dole isn't slowing down.

North Carolina's former Republican senator was in Charlotte this morning for a fundraiser for two groups associated with Mike Huckabee, the former and possibly future GOP presidential candidate, Jim Morrill reports.

Dole said she sandwiched the appearance between a morning stop at Charlotte's Loaves & Fishes food bank and afternoon visits to the Charlotte Rescue Mission, Salvation Army and Thompson's Children's Home. She said she supports them all through the Elizabeth Dole Charitable Foundation.

On her way out, Dole, who turns 73 next month, was asked if she's enjoying retirement.

"Not retirement, no," she bristled. "Catching up on my life."

More after the jump.

   Comments (3)

* A Facebook group backing Cal Cunningham for Senate now has more members than one for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

* Former Republican Congressional candidate Will Breazeale says he's ready for a rematch against U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, who beat him 68-32 percent.

* Former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole joins husband Bob and other VIPs at 65th anniversary of D-Day event in France.

* U.S. Sen. Richard Burr criticizes CNN for report on flavored "smokeless products," receives criticism from liberal blogger. 

APPLE BITES: This week it was all about Jobs — with a lower-case and upper-case J. The same day that Gov. Beverly Perdue signed into law changes to the state's corporate taxes designed to lure Apple, the company founded by Steve Jobs announced it would build a $1 billion data center. Opponents of corporate incentives, meantime, felt more like the biblical Job, suffering yet again.

BURR'S CRUSADE: U.S. Sen. Richard Burr stood up for tobacco in the Senate. The Winston-Salem Republican spent more than four hours on the floor arguing against a bill to allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. He said it would stifle innovation in nicotine delivery systems and hurt the "gold standard" of food and drug oversight. He and Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan proposed an alternate bill.

EMPTYING HOUSE? Another state representative is leaving. Rep. Bonner Stiller, a Brunswick County Republican, will step down this month to spend more time with his family. He joins four other legislators this term who've stepped down to accept a gubernatorial appointment (Rep. Linda Coleman) or move to the state Senate (now Sen. Dan Blue) or because they died (Sen. Vernon Malone) or were under investigation (Rep. Cary Allred).

IN OTHER NEWS: An East Carolina University professor will discuss his studies of the vice presidency with Joe Biden. ... Elizabeth Edwards is not interested in running for U.S. Senate, but she will open a furniture store in Chapel Hill. ... Former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole will make her first political appearance since losing in November when she introduces one-time GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee in Charlotte next week. ... Hagan ran into Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor in the ladies' room at the Capitol.

Raleigh political consultant Mark Stephens is stepping down from his role at the Republican National Committee's chief fundraiser.

Stephens was on RNC chairman Michael Steele's transition team and then headed fund raising from February through May. Steele announced this morning that Rob Bickhart would being as the party's finance chair, Rob Christensen reports.

"I want to thank Mark for coming to Washington and working hard to help put the RNC on a strong financial foundation — raising $23 million during the transition," Steele said in a statement. "He also led our search team to find the RNC a first-class finance director."

Stephens, who learned his politics as part of the late Sen. Jesse Helms' political organization, has been involved in GOP politics for decades.

He played major roles in former Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaigns and Dole brought him in to serve as executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2006 election cycle.

Former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole is coming back to North Carolina.

She'll be introducing former Arkansas governor and once (and future?) presidential candidate Mike Huckabee at an event in Charlotte next Thursday.

Huckabee will hold two events at the Charlotte City Club to benefit a conservative advocacy group he runs, the Vertical Politics Institute, and his political action committee, Huck PAC.

Dome believes this is the first political event Dole will attend in North Carolina since her defeat in November.

More information on the events is here.

How vulnerable is Sen. Richard Burr?

An article in Real Clear Politics this morning says that by a number of measures the Winston-Salem Republican "could be the most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the country."

But Wake Forest University political science professor John Dinan notes several advantages: He is likable, does not have the problems of Sen. Elizabeth Dole and faces no top-tier Democratic challenger.

"There are no apparent ways in which Burr has rendered himself vulnerable in his first four years," said Dinan. "Unlike Dole, who was vulnerable because of not spending time in the state and not seen as working hard enough to represent North Carolina interests, Burr has no concerns on either of these counts. His main concern is that his name recognition isn't yet as high outside of the Piedmont area as an incumbent would prefer."

The articles adds that Burr's recent efforts to block FDA regulation of tobacco and propose a Republican alternative to health care reform should raise his visibility.

A former financial staffer for former GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole's re-election campaign plans to launch a new website this week to track the doings of her opponent, Kay Hagan.

Hagan, a Democrat and former state senator, defeated Dole in November, Barb Barrett reports.

Matthew Bales, 24, has worked five months to develop his site, KayHaganTracker.com. He says it will go live Wednesday and feature Hagan's legislation, her positions on issues and her voting record.

"It will track all the promises she made on the campaign trail," said Bales, who worked for Dole's re-election campaign last year.

He said he will hold Hagan accountable when she doesn't live up to her pledges, but congratulate her when she does. He sees his site as a resource for constituents.

"I'm not trying to be a bad guy," Bales said. "It's not a partisan issue; it's an accountability issue."

More after the jump.

   Comments (7)

* Worth noting: Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms voted to confirm Sonia Sotomayor as U.S. Circuit judge in 1998; former Sen. Lauch Faircloth against.

* Brian Nick, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, was named a "rising star" by Politics magazine for consultants and advocates under 35.

* N.C. Republican Party chair candidates Chad Adams and Marcus Kindley answer questionnaires on policy from Carolina Politics Online.

* N.C. Democratic Party chair David Young says on Asheville talk radio that his "gut" tells him U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler is thinking of a Senate run.

* Greensboro attorney Locke Clifford suspiciously steps down from a panel advising Sen. Kay Hagan on potential U.S. attorney appointments.

* Senate committee considers rolling back sex ed bill to give parents the option to opt their kids in to comprehensive class instead of opting out.

* N.C. GOP chairman candidate Chad Adams did not like Rob Christensen's Sunday column, demands an apology to former Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

* N.C. State University's chancellor and provost will appear before a grand jury this week, making it clear its probing former Gov. Mike Easley.

Rep. Grier Martin says he's not running either.

The Raleigh Democrat, who turned down a recruiting campaign in 2008, told Dome that he's not considering a race against U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

"My decision to decline a chance to run against Elizabeth Dole was also not to run in 2010," he said. 

Martin said he's declined both chances because he wants to spend more time with his six-year-old daughter, Sara, which he called "one of the best decisions" he's ever made.

Republican Rep. John Blust likes to taunt Martin, noting that he could have been a U.S. senator if he'd run.  

"John loves messing with me, and he's been kind enough to stop that lately," Martin said. "I tell him there are things that I'd rather be than a U.S. senator."