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Secretary of State Elaine Marshall has assembled a veteran team of political consultants to help her in her bid for the U.S. Senate.

Her pollster is Celinda Lake of Washington, who has worked for candidates ranging from former President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Harvey Gantt's 1996 Senate campaign, Rob Christensen reports. Lake, who is regarded as expert in framing in issues for women, also worked for Marshall's unsuccessful 2002 Senate campaign.

Her media consultant is Doc Sweitzer of Philadelphia, whose clients have included Al Gore' 1988 presidential campaign and New Jersey Governor Jim Florio's race. He has extensive experience in working for North Carolina Democrats including state Treasurer Richard Moore and Congressmen Robin Britt, Bill Hefner, Martin Lancaster, Brad Miller and Steve Neal.

Marshall's general consultant is Thomas Mills of Chapel Hill, who has worked for the Kerry-Edwards campaign, for Congressman Larry Kissell and Eva Clayton and Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy among other candidates.

Marshall is one of two Democrats who have announced for the seat held by Republican Sen. Richard Burr. Lawyer Kenneth Lewis has also announced his candidacy.

U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton is getting her tongue-twisted.

She started to call House Speaker Joe Hackney "senator" then corrected herself, but got his last name something closer to "Hackley."

Then she called the governor-elect "Everly" and corrected herself on that one too.

A little later, Clayton made amends for her earlier error in pronouncing the first gentleman's last name.

"I made an awful error. I didn't acknowledge the power behind the power — Bob Eaves," she said, pronouncing it correctly this time.

Then, she introduced Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry (pronounced "sha-ree") as "Cherry Berry" and Supreme Court Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson as Patricia "Timmason" Goodson, Treasurer Janet Cowell as Janet "Caldwell" and featured singer Caitlin Cary as "Cathlin."

Finally, horror of horrors, she pronounced Andy Griffith's name as "Andy Griffin."

Former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton just introduced the Perdue family.

Just one little flub, though.

In introducing Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue's husband, Bob Eaves, Clayton pronounced his last name "Evis."

It's actually pronounced "eeves."

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue will be the state's first female governor.

But it won't be the only first for women in North Carolina. Below, a list of other female firsts compiled by N&O researcher Brooke Cain.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE: In 1920, Lillian Exum Clement of Buncombe County was the first woman elected to the state House and first female Southern legislator.

DEPARTMENT HEAD: In 1921, Kate Burr Johnson of Morganton was the first woman in the country to serve as state commissioner of public welfare and the first woman to head a major department.

STATE SENATOR: Gertrude Dills McKee was elected the first female state senator in 1931.

CONGRESSWOMAN: In 1946, Eliza Jane Pratt became the first woman to represent North Carolina in Congress.

SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE: In 1949, Susie Sharp became the state's first female Superior Court judge.

SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: In 1962, Sharp became the first woman to serve on the N.C. Supreme Court.

BIG CITY MAYOR: In 1977, Isabella Cannon was elected the mayor of Raleigh, the first female mayor of a major North Carolina city.

ELECTED PROSECUTOR: In the late 1980s, Jean Powell became the state's first elected district attorney, winning in Hoke and Scotland counties' District 16A.

BLACK CONGRESSWOMAN: In 1992, Eva Clayton was elected the first African-American Congresswoman from North Carolina.

SHERIFF: In 1994, Barbara Pickens was elected sheriff of Lincoln County, the state's first female sheriff.

COUNCIL OF STATE (APPOINTED): In March of 1996, Gov. Jim Hunt appointed Janice Faulkner the first female secretary of state and the first woman on the Council of State.

COUNCIL OF STATE (ELECTED): In the fall of 1996, Elaine Marshall became the first elected female secretary of state and the first woman elected to the Council of State.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: In 2000, Perdue was elected the state's first female lieutenant governor.

LABOR COMMISSIONER: In 2000, Cherie Berry was elected the first female labor commissioner.

AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER: In 2000, Meg Scott Phipps was elected the first female agriculture commissioner.

U.S. SENATOR: In 2002, Elizabeth Dole was elected the first female U.S. senator in North Carolina.

SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT: In 2005, June St. Clair Atkinson became the first female superintendent of public instruction.

STATE TREASURER: In 2008, state Sen. Janet Cowell was elected the first female state treasurer in North Carolina.

STATE AUDITOR: In 2008, Beth Wood was elected the first female state auditor.

COUNCIL OF STATE MAJORITY: In 2008, six women — Marshall, Berry, Atkinson, Perdue, Cowell and Wood — made up the first female majority of the 10-member Council of State.

Are we missing anybody? Let us know in the comment thread.

A dozen members of a state inauguration committee have been named.

The N.C. Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will oversee the swearing-in ceremonies of Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue and other members of the Council of State, the inaugural parade and an open house at the Executive Mansion that same afternoon.

Perdue appointed New Bern law firm employee Sissy Chesnutt, former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton of Lake Gaston and higher education administrator Jill Dinwiddie of Charlotte.

Gov. Mike Easley appointed Raleigh attorney Dee Becton Rozier, tourism development officer Kaye Myers of Fairview, and Wilmington attorney Linda Wilson.

Senate leader Marc Basnight appointed Sens. Katie Dorsett of Greensboro, Vern Malone of Raleigh and Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand of Fayetteville.

And House Speaker Joe Hackney appointed Reps. Linda Coleman of Knightdale, Margaret Highsmith Dickson of Fayetteville and Alice Underhill of New Bern.

Basnight, Hackney and the 10 newly elected members of the Council of State will also serve as non-voting members.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated Chesnutt's job.

The Eastern District U.S. attorney usually has a strong political patron.

For most of the last 20 years, the federal prosecutor in Raleigh appointed by the president has been closely tied to Sen. Jesse Helms, except during Democratic administrations.

Here is a list of former U.S. attorneys and their patrons:

George Anderson: (1977-1980) Backed by Democratic Sen. Robert Morgan; appointed by President Jimmy Carter.

Sam Currin: (1981-1987) Former Helms aide. Backed by Helms; appointed by President Ronald Reagan.

Margaret Currin: (1988-1993) The wife of the previous U.S. attorney. Backed by Helms; appointed by Reagan.

Janice McKenzie Cole: (1994-2001) Backed by Democratic U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton; appointed by President Bill Clinton. (No Democratic senator at that time.)

Frank Whitney: (2002-2005) Former Helms legislative counsel. Backed by Republican lawyer Tom Ellis, Helms' longtime political strategist; appointed by President George W. Bush.

George Holding: (2005-present) Former Helms aide and Whitney's No. 2 at U.S. attorney's office. Backed by Ellis; appointed by Bush.

The Rev. Lenwood Long Sr., a first-time delegate, runs out of superlatives in describing his experience in Denver.

In telephone call today just as he was getting ready to catch the light rail train for downtown, he called former President Bill Clinton’s speech last night "great," "fantastic" and "just magnificent."

Long, the pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Rolesville, was a Hillary Clinton supporter before he switched during the South Carolina primary to Barack Obama.

But it was the Clintons who provided most of yesterday’s excitement.

The highlight was "the drama around the roll call vote," Long said. Anticipation built for about 30 minutes before Hillary Clinton came in "with an entourage of cameras and Secret Service," he said.

When she cast all New York delegate votes for Obama and called for his nomination by acclimation, "it was a frenzy," Long said. "People were so excited."

Looking forward to Obama's speech, Long wants him to talk tonight about how he proposes to handle the challenges America faces — economic challenges in particular — and to establish an emotional connection with the audience.

"It's more important for people not to connect to his intellect, but to his heart," Long said.

Long is 63 and lives in Wake Forest. He was chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton during her first term in Congress, and worked on all her campaigns.

Walter Dalton received the endorsements of several black leaders.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor was endorsed by the George C. Simkins Political Action Committee, a major African-American PAC in Greensboro.

He also been endorsed by former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton, former state Auditor Ralph Campbell and the entire state Senate Black Caucus: Sens. Charlie Dannelly, Katie Dorsett, Tony Foriest, Malcolm Graham, Ed Jones, Vern Malone, Floyd McKissick and Larry Shaw.

Dalton has been a state senator since 1996.

"I am extremely honored to have the endorsement of the Simkins Committee and African-American leaders across the state," Dalton said in a statement. "Their support reflects my commitment to making the lives of all North Carolinians better and creating opportunities for everyone to succeed."

Was Eva Clayton the first black Congressional representative from North Carolina since Reconstruction?

In a robocall, the former U.S. representative urges voters to make Beverly Perdue the first woman governor of North Carolina and notes her own history as a record-breaker.

"As many of you know I was the first woman from North Carolina ever elected to Congress and I was the first African-American elected since Reconstruction," she says.

Before Clayton's win in a 1992 special election, the last black Congressional representative was George Henry White, who was elected in 1898.

That's about two decades after the end of Reconstruction, which historians typically peg at 1877, though White is often — and inaccurately — referred to as the last African-American Congressman of the Reconstruction era.

The next black Congressman elected was in 1928, and the next black Congressman from the South was not until 1972.

Former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton is making calls for Beverly Perdue.

Clayton, the first African-American elected to Congress from North Carolina since 1898, recorded a call endorsing Perdue's campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

The call, like a mailer and a phone call noting Perdue's endorsement of Barack Obama, is directed primarily at black households.

"We think the message just has more salience to those households," explained Perdue spokesman David Kochman. "We'll be having a comprehensive campaign, not just in the African-American community, but in most communities across North Carolina."

In the call, Clayton talks about Perdue's proposals for jobs, health care and education and references her experience as the first woman elected to Congress in North Carolina.

After the jump, the script of the ad.