How closely tied are North Carolina's Congressional Democrats to their presidential nominee?

Though all but one of the state's seven Democratic representatives will cast their superdelegate vote for Barack Obama, they're at slightly different levels.

Here's where they stand, from closest to least close:

G.K. Butterfield: Switched endorsement from John Edwards before the South Carolina primary. Stumped in Tennessee, Louisiana and Georgia. Participated in multiple teleconferences. Talked to reporters. Served on "Truth Squad." Attended rallies. District backed Obama by 63 percent. Name-checked in acceptance speech. Still working.

David Price: Defended Obama. Endorsed before primary, after Edwards dropped out. Participated in teleconferences. District backed Obama by 66 percent. Name-checked in acceptance speech. Still working. 

Mel Watt: Previously skeptical of black candidate's chances. Endorsed before primary, after Edwards dropped out. Participated in teleconferences. Served on "Truth Squad." District backed Obama by 78 percent. Name-checked in acceptance speech.

Brad Miller: Wife sat behind Obama for acceptance speech. District backed Obama by 63 percent Stayed neutral before primary, endorsed shortly afterward.

Bob Etheridge: District backed Obama. Stayed neutral before primary. Endorsed Obama the day before Clinton dropped out. Attended Obama rally.

Mike McIntyre: District backed Clinton. Stayed neutral before primary. Endorsed Obama the day before Clinton dropped out.

Heath Shuler: Received $10,000 from Obama's PAC in 2006. District backed Clinton. Endorsed Clinton after primary. Staff says he's been too busy to think about race since then.

The state's Congressional Democrats endorsed Kay Hagan.

The seven U.S. representatives issued a joint endorsement of the Democratic nominee, who faces U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole in November.

"Kay Hagan has a decade-long record of effectiveness in the North Carolina state Senate, and has earned the distinction of being one of the Senate's top 10 most effective lawmakers for three consecutive terms," said U.S. Rep. David Price in a statement. "She's a work horse, not a show horse."

Along with Price, U.S. Reps. Mel Watt, Mike McIntyre, Bob Etheridge, Brad Miller, G.K. Butterfield and Heath Shuler backed Hagan.

"I'm so honored to receive these endorsements," Kay said. "I'm looking forward to working with them in my campaign and of course, when I am up in Washington working in the U.S. Senate."

Barack Obama recognized Democratic pols in the crowd.

At the N.C. State Fairgrounds today, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee recognized Gov. Mike Easley, John and Elizabeth Edwards, U.S. Reps. Bob Etheridge and G.K. Butterfield.

He also noted the three Democratic governors being escorted by Edwards: Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, Gov. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and former Gov. Roy Romer of Colorado.

Barack Obama will give a speech on the economy at the N.C. State Fairgrounds today.

Dome is at the event, where doors opened about a half hour ago.

So far, we've spotted a few of the usual suspects: U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, state Sen. Floyd McKissick, state Reps. Dan Blue and Ty Harrell, former lieutenant governor candidate Hampton Dellinger, former Raleigh City Councilman Brad Thompson and Capstrat founder Ken Eudy.

The campaign of Sen. Janet Cowell, who is running for state treasurer and lives nearby, is handing out fliers at the front of the Exposition Center building.

Update: Also in the crowd: Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, House Speaker Joe Hackney, Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, superdelegate David Parker, former state Auditor Ralph Campbell, state Reps. Linda Coleman and Jennifer Weiss, and Raleigh businessman John Crumpler.

State Treasurer Richard Moore just wandered through the press section by mistake and Dome asked what he was doing in our less illustrious section of the room.

"I don't know, but I'm going to do my best to get out of here," he said. 

In choosing North Carolina as one of his first general election appearances, Barack Obama was sending a signal that he is seriously looking at contesting the Tar Heel state.

"North Carolina is in play," said Congressman G.K. Butterfield of Wilson, a key Obama leader. "We are a purple state. We are neither red nor blue."

North Carolina has long been regarded as a red state, or a Republican-leaning state in presidential politics. Only once in the past 40 years, in 1976 when Jimmy Carter was the nominee, has the state voted Democrat, Rob Christensen reports.

But Obama spent considerable time and resources in the state during last month's Democratic primary.

Butterfield said one goal of Obama's visit here was to reach out to the 20 percent of the electorate that is registered as unaffilaited. But he also said the Illinois senator needs to take his message to working people of all colors.

During the primary here, Obama did poorly among white working Democrats, losing that demographic to Hillary Clinton.

The superdelegates in North Carolina mostly backed Barack.

Here's a breakdown of the state's 19 superdelegates in the Democratic presidential primary race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Clinton

Gov. Mike Easley
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler
Susan Burgess, Charlotte Councilwoman

Obama

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield
U.S. Rep. David Price
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt
U.S. Rep. Brad Miller
Jerry Meek, N.C. Democratic Party chair
Dannie Montgomery, N.C. Democratic Party vice chair
Everett Ward, former Democratic Party director
Joyce Brayboy, public policy lobbyist
Jeanette Council, Cumberland County commissioner
Muriel K. Offerman, Democratic National Committee
David Parker, Statesville attorney
U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge
U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre

Carol Peterson, Buncombe County commissioner
Two delegates to be named at the state convention.

The American Conservative Union ranked two North Carolina representatives tops.

U.S. Reps. Patrick McHenry and Virginia Foxx both scored 100 percent on the conservative group's annual Congressional ratings — two out of only 62 representatives to land among its "best and brightest" for the 2007 session.

At the same time, four Congressional Democrats — Reps. David Price, Brad Miller, Mel Watt and G.K. Butterfield — scored 0 percent, landing among the group's "worst of the worst."

The ratings were based on votes on a minimum wage hike, stem-cell research, the Iraq war, Amtrak funding, earmark reform, border security, support of Planned Parenthood and energy policy, among other things.

The rest of the delegation was in between. Among Republicans, Rep. Sue Myrick scored a 96, Rep. Howard Coble an 83, Rep. Robin Hayes a 79, and Rep. Walter Jones a 71. Among Democrats, Reps. Mike McIntyre and Heath Shuler, both Blue Dog Democrats, scored 44 and Rep. Bob Etheridge an 8.

Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole both scored a 92.

The state’s Democratic congressional delegation hosted a fundraiser this morning in Washington for Daniel Johnson, a candidate for the 10th Congressional District seat.

Johnson is challenging Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry of Cherryville in November.

The fundraiser was held at Tortilla Coast, a popular restaurant about a block from the House row of office buildings on Capitol Hill. Most tickets ranged from $250 to $1,000 a plate, though House staffers could get in for $100, reports Barb Barrett.

The event was hosted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its chairman, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, along with U.S. Reps. David Price, Bob Etheridge, Mel Watt, Heath Shuler, Brad Miller and G.K. Butterfield.

Of Tar Heel representatives, only U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre’s name was omitted. Spokesman Dean Mitchell said McIntyre was a host, but that the invitation was sent before the office’s official approval. McIntyre was not able to attend.

State Republicans jumped on the fundraiser as proof that Johnson is a Washington-backed politician. GOP Chairwoman Linda Daves today wrote Johnson a letter:

Only a few days after issuing a patently false press release claiming that your pockets have not been stuffed with cash from Washington liberals and attacking Congressman McHenry for pointing that out, I am shocked and appalled to discover that you are in Washington today for a fundraiser hosted by several liberal, Washington politicians.

You owe Congressman McHenry and the people of Western North Carolina an apology.

Rep. G. K. Butterfield has bed bugs on his mind.

The Wilson Democrat has sponsored the "Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2008," which would establish a grant program so states can establish inspection, prevention and eradication of the blood sucking pests. States would have to require the inspection of at least 20 percent of its hotel rooms.

"Unfortunately, it’s not a joke," Butterfield said in a news release. "Fifty years after being virtually eliminated, bed bugs are back all across the country."

Butterfield's news release said there are numerous news reports indicating that bed bugs are showing up in some of the county’s finest hotels like the Ramada Plaza in San Francisco, the five-star Westin resort in Hollywood, Florida, and the Regency Inn and Suites in New York City.

The funds would come from within the existing U.S. Department of Commerce’s existing budget.

Butterfield said eliminating bed bugs from hotels is important because it can be the source of a home infestation.