Evan Bayh | newsobserver.com projects

Obama's uphill win led by campaign vet

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on November 17, 2008 - 9:19am.

Barack Obama's uphill win in North Carolina was led by a veteran operative.

Marc Farinella, 50, grew up in New York and Chicago, entering the latter city's politics with a reputation as an egghead. He became campaign manager and chief of staff to Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, who defeated Sen. John Ashcroft in 2000 despite dying weeks earlier.

He worked as a strategist for Erskine Bowles' unsuccessful Senate campaign in 2002 and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's re-election campaign in 2004.

He started 2008 working for Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, who decided not to get into the race, then came to North Carolina for Obama in July.

The Obama organization had about 50 offices and 23,000 volunteers. Farinella spoke to former Gov. Jim Hunt as often as twice a day.

He said he is considering moving to North Carolina. (N&O)

What is the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner?

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on May 1, 2008 - 1:00pm.

Answer:

An annual dinner held in the spring or Raleigh by the state Democratic Party since 1930.

The event serves three purposes: Raising money for the party, rallying the faithful ahead of the May primaries and serving as a platform for state candidates.

Speakers have included Vice Presidents Lyndon Johnson in 1963 and Walter Mondale in 1977; Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore, Gary Hart and Jesse Jackson in 1988; Texas Gov. Ann Richards in 1998; U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh in 2006; and U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008.

The event began in 1930 as the annual Jackson Dinner held by the Young Democrats and named for former President Andrew Jackson, who may or may not have been born in North Carolina.

A decade later, the state Democratic Party began its annual Jefferson Dinner in honor of former President Thomas Jefferson.

In 1948, the two events merged.

It is usually held in Raleigh in April or May, although it has been held in Cary as well.

A similar event, the Vance-Aycock Dinner, is held in Asheville every year.

Tuesday quick hits

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on September 25, 2007 - 8:12am.

* Mark Harkins, former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Brad Miller, has joined Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice as a senior government relations adviser. (Roll Call)

* State Rep. Alma Adams says she'll answer some lingering questions about the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation's books "sometime in October." (Capital Beat)

* U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler wants to keep the friendly skies PG-13 with a bill that would prevent showing violent movies like "The Last King of Scotland" in certain parts of the plane. (AC-T)

* Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, John Edwards' one-time senatorial jogging partner, has endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. (Indianapolis Star)

Clinton-Easley in 2008?

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on August 27, 2007 - 7:45am.

Would Sen. Hillary Clinton pick Gov. Mike Easley as her running mate?

That's one scenario laid out recently by Stanley Fish on a New York Times blog ($), Rob Christensen reports.

He reasons that the New York senator will be looking for some geographical balance if she captures the Democratic nomination.

Among the possibilities: Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle — and Easley.

Easley, Fish writes, "is a Democrat who has run ahead of his party in two elections. However, he is not well known outside the region, and it is a question as to whether he could deliver his own state."