Gov. Beverly Perdue's pro-choice promise will soon face its first test.

While speaking to a feminist group at a fundraiser breakfast in Raleigh this morning, Perdue pledged to be strongly pro-choice.

At the same time, she released a list of proposed cuts given to her by different agency officials that includes eliminating the state's fund to help poor women afford abortions.

The move would save about $50,000 a year.

The state abortion fund used to be much larger. But during the 1995 budget session, then state Sen. Perdue, one of the chief budget writers, helped slash it from $1.2 million to $50,000 — a 96 percent reduction.

During the Democratic gubernatorial primary, then-Treasurer Richard Moore criticized Perdue for the cut, even creating a YouTube clip of an uncomfortable interview on the subject, while Perdue defended her record on abortion.

Though NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina remained neutral in the primary, Perdue was endorsed by EMILY's List, which backs pro-choice Democratic women, and received the support of the Central North Carolina chapter of Planned Parenthood in the general election.

Update: Perdue was also endorsed by the N.C. Women's Political Caucus, the state chapter of a bipartisan group that endorses pro-choice women candidates.

Correction: An earlier version may have given the impression that Perdue had taken a stance on the specific cuts. She has not.

Sen. Kay Hagan said that women have made progress, but not enough.

Speaking at a pro-choice women's luncheon in Washington Sunday, the Greensboro Democrat noted that she was taking the seat of former Sen. Jesse Helms, drawing brief boos from the audience.

She related that in 1999 Helms kicked now-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and nine other Congresswomen out of a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after they tried to present him with a petition to sign an international treaty against the discrimination of women.

"That's whose seat I am taking," she said. "Looking around this room today, I know that you would agree that a lot has changed in this country and a lot has changed in the great state of North Carolina."

Speaking at an event sponsored by EMILY's List, Hagan repeated her support for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would extend the time period for filing a discrimination claim. It is the first bill Hagan has cosponsored and was the subject of her first speech in the Senate.

She also noted a smaller, but still irritating, act of discrimination.

"Imagine my surprise when I tried to use the Senate members' gym recently and found out that there is a pool, but — guess what — it's only for the men," she said.

Gov. Beverly Perdue said she belongs to a too-exclusive club.

Speaking at a pro-choice women's luncheon in Washington Sunday, North Carolina's first female governor half-joked that she had joined the "Girls' Governors Club" alongside "lifetime members" such as Arizona's Janet Napolitano and New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen.

"They're the lifetime members and I'm the newbie," she said. "There's only one little problem for those of us in America: This club is much too exclusive. In the history of this great country, there now have been only 30 elected (female) governors."

Perdue thanked the members and leaders of EMILY's List, which sponsored the luncheon, for their support of her campaign, noting that she had raised a record $18 million — more than three times her Republican opponent, Pat McCrory.

"You all, that's what it takes to win if you're a woman in America," she said. "You have to work harder and you have to be smarter."

She also spoke strongly in favor of abortion rights, an issue that flared up briefly during the Democratic primary, but not come up much during the general election.

"We are one of a few Southern states — just a very few — where choice has been saved," she said. "I've spent a lot of my years with a lot of other people making that possible for all those little girls who will follow after me, and let me tell you, that will not change with me as governor."

Sen. Kay Hagan and Gov. Beverly Perdue will join Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton and a handful of other high-powered women at a Democratic pro-choice luncheon Sunday in Washington.

The EMILY's List luncheon is among dozens of events going on this holiday weekend to honor the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and a slate of women who favor abortion rights. Tickets for the luncheon, at the Hilton Washington, sold at a range of $150 to $5,000.

The luncheon also features Obama Cabinet nominees Janet Napolitano and Hilda Solis; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who was just elected in New Hampshire.

The political organization works to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office.

EMILY's List was Hagan's No. 2 contributor in her recent campaign, donating nearly $270,000 to her effort to defeat former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The group also supported Perdue, running an ad in last May’s primary campaign touting her record on child predators.

One of North Carolina's most influential lobbying groups gave $23,250 to Sen. Kay Hagan's election campaign, according to new data out from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, a law firm based in Winston-Salem, was the No. 4 donor to her campaign, behind the ideological organizations of Act Blue, EMILY's List and MoveOn.org, Barb Barrett reports.

Womble Carlyle has been slowly building its Washington presence in the past few years and has snagged lobbyists from the likes of Jesse Helms' and Brad Miller's offices. Last year, the law firm began representing Blackwater, the private security contractor based in Moyock.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Womble Carlyle's political action committee donated $1,000 to Hagan's campaign. Individuals affiliated with the law firm gave the rest.

Among Womble Carlyle's other clients are the Iredell Memorial Hospital, Friends of the North Carolina Museum, the N.C. Military Foundation, SAS Institute, the Specialty Tobacco Council and Wake and Mecklenburg counties.

Google Suggest has some bad news for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

As noted previously, the search function feature suggests other recent searches popular on Google based on what you type in.

For Dole, a few are obvious: website, NC, bio, campaign, senator. But two suggest recent ads by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are working: 93rd and effectiveness.

That suggests a number of voters are curious about that statistic, which is explained more fully here.

Potentially worse news for Dole comes from suggestions for her Democratic rival Kay Hagan. Again, the usual: Senate, campaign, North Carolina.

But also: abortion.

Since that issue has not come up in the race so far, it suggests that a fair number of pro-life voters may be looking into Hagan to see if they could support her.

For the record, Hagan is pro-choice and is backed by Emily's List.

Kay Hagan and Beverly Perdue didn’t make it out to Denver, but their campaigns were chatted up at a fundraiser for EMILY’s List, a group that supports Democratic women candidates.

R. Bruce Thompson II a delegate from Raleigh, paid so much to attend the Tuesday fundraiser that he didn’t want give the figure because his wife didn't know how much it cost him.

(Hint to Mrs. Thompson: It was at a 'sponsorship' level, and more than $50.)

Hagan, who is running for U.S. Senate, and Perdue, who is running for governor, is on the group’s list of “rising stars.”

“It’s kind of nice to be from North Carolina when they’re talking about all these North Carolinians,” said Thompson, who is attending his first convention as a delegate.

More after the jump.

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Janet Cowell received $663,403 in contributions by the end of June.

The Democratic nominee for state treasurer received $248,162 in contributions during the second quarter of the year, according to her most recent campaign finance report.

Major donors included N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences executive director Elizabeth Bennett, investment manager Leah Bergman, financial consultant Eugene Cahalan, Crandall Bowles, SAS co-founder John Sall and real estate developer Smedes York.

She also received donations from political action committees for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, UNITE HERE, the AFL-CIO, EMILY's List and the Conservation Council of North Carolina.

She also spent $71,890, leaving her with $197,133 in cash on hand. 

EMILY's List is running an ad touting Beverly Perdue's record on child predators.

The group, which supports women candidates, has endorsed Perdue, a Democratic candidate for governor. The one-minute ad begins with two young girls talking as they chat with someone on the Internet.

"Do you think we should meet him at the park?" one girl asks.

"Come on, it will be fun," the other says.

The ad never asks listeners to vote for Perdue. Instead it asks people to call Perdue about her stance on child predators.

Previously: Richard Moore had complained about an ad the National Education Association ran for Perdue.