State Sen. Kay Hagan was even less bipartisan in the session before last.

With the Democratic Senate nominee touting her bipartisanship in the legislature, Dome has been taking a closer look at the number of Republicans who signed on to her bills.

In the 2003-04 session, the Greensboro Democrat was the primary sponsor of 31 bills. Of them, 22 had no cosponsors, six had only Democratic cosponsors and three had Republican cosponsors.

Again, the bills with Republican cosponsors tended to have more than one. Overall, her 43 cosponsors included 35 Democrats and eight Republicans, or about a four-to-one ratio.

The three bills were for funding for DNA analysis in rape kits, funding for a Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro and providing school information on meningitis and the flu. The meningitis bill was the most bipartisan, with 11 Democratic cosponsors and five Republicans.

None of the Republicans sponsored more than one bill. They were: Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, one-time gubernatorial candidate Fern Shubert, Tony P. Moore, Stan Bingham, Tom Apodaca, Robert C. Carpenter, R.B. Sloan Jr. and Richard Stevens.

Previously: Hagan's GOP cosponsors in 2005-06; in 2007-08.

Rep. Thomas Wright's lawyers tried to draw a parallel with Rep. Pryor Gibson.

During this morning's hearings on expelling the Wilmington Democrat, his lawyers argued that he was being treated differently than white legislators in similar circumstances.

They briefly referred to Gibson, a Wadesboro Democrat, before chairman Rick Glazier gaveled him down, saying that the committee would not talk about other ethics cases.

Gibson, who was not at the hearing, said he did not know exactly what Wright's attorney was referring to, but if it was a 2007 complaint referred to in a legislative committee, it was "apples and oranges."

In that case, former N.C. Sen. Fern Shubert accused Gibson of using false information to secure a local bill. Gibson had filed a certificate saying other local lawmakers approved of the bill, but withdrew the bill after learning of objects from two Republicans.

Wright is accused of failing to report more than $340,000 in campaign donations, loans and charitable contributions.

"This is not even in the same ballfield," Gibson said. "This was an internal House interpretation of rule-making."

Will the endorsements of two former governors help Pat McCrory?

History suggests some reason for doubt. Both former Republican governors Jim Holshouser and Jim Martin endorsed George Little in the 2004 Republican primary, and Holshouser served as co-chairman of his committee.

Little was a longtime Republican fundraiser and Moore County insurance broker who was the most moderate candidate in the field. He supported the lottery and was widely considered one of the few Republicans who could win Democratic votes in the general election.

He came in last, after state Sen. Fern Shubert, Davie County Commissioner Dan Barrett, former state GOP chairman Bill Cobey, former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot and and the eventual nominee, state Sen. Patrick Ballantine, who lost the general election.

"Endorsements rarely matter," Rob Christensen wrote afterward. "Candidates work very hard to get the blessings of well-known political figures. But the primary results suggest there are better ways to spend their time."

McCrory stressed that he did not seek out their support and would not rely on endorsements.

Fern Shubert wants you to know about the North American Union.

The former state senator and fifth-place Republican gubernatorial primary candidate said on Saturday that a superhighway from Canada to Mexico is part of a broader plan to unite the three countries in a European Union-style new world order.

"The papers that try to say 'Oh it's a conspiracy theory,' if they say anything at all, are basically trying to keep your head in the sand until it's too late," she said.

Shubert was speaking at an anti-illegal immigration forum in Asheville.

After the jump, a short video of her remarks.

   Comments (0)