How often have North Carolina's senators worked with John McCain?

A quick search of legislation filed in recent years shows a handful of bills which U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr have cosponsored with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Burr signed on to four McCain-sponsored bills: Imposing sanctions on the Burmese junta, creating a federal gas-tax holiday this summer, requiring illegal immigrants to pay back taxes before becoming citizens and designating a National Mentoring Month.

Dole signed on to the Burmese sanctions and the mentoring month as well as an amendment to name a military spending bill for Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican.

In addition, McCain signed on to two Dole bills: Recognizing the Lumbees as a tribe and awarding a Congressional Medal of Honor to Tony Blair.

He did not sign on to any Burr-sponsored bills. 

N.C. Go says Gov. Mike Easley's proposed budget is sound.

The coalition of transportation advocates praises proposals to phase out the transfer of money from the Highway Trust Fund, starting with a $25 million reduction the first year.

"In 1989, when the transfer originated it was a sensible proposal, helping to hold harmless funds previously directed to the General Fund," vice chairman Berry Jenkins said in a statement. "Since that time, the General Fund has grown while the Highway Trust Fund – and most other transportation funding – has remained virtually flat."

The group argues that transportation revenue should be spent on transportation projects.

On a separate issue, the coalition says the state should undo the cap on the state gas tax, which Easley has recommended leaving in place.

Why did Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton?

Unlike the governor's races, it's a little easier to figure out how the senator from Illinois beat the senator from New York in North Carolina's presidential primary. 

With the help of political columnist Rob Christensen, here are five:

He had ground game. Obama had 81 offices, 300 paid staffers and 15,300 volunteers — the biggest N.C. ground operation since 1984. Clinton had 20 offices and 50 paid staffers.

Demographics favored him. Obama did very well with African-American voters, who made up one-third of the primary electorate, and the college-educated.

He advertised heavily. Obama had nine ads in heavy rotation. Clinton had six ads that were not on the air as much. His ads focused on issues; hers on personalities.

The gas tax gambit failed. Clinton put all her chips on a reduction in the gas tax that was roundly criticized by economists. Obama effectively portrayed it as a gimmick. 

He got out the early vote. Obama pushed heavily on the state's new early voting option. Lines were longer at some sites than on Election Day, and nearly a half-million voted that way.

The gas tax is the perfect foil for a candidate.

Gas is pretty much a necessity, especially in road-centric North Carolina. It's one of the few commodities whose prices you see in foot-high numbers when buying. And few voters seek a direct link between the gas tax and the roads and other things it pays for.

So it's not surprising that reducing gas taxes has been a political staple for decades. 

In 1982, U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms filibustered against a federal gas-tax hike backed by President Reagan. In his landmark 1984 race against Jim Hunt, Helms hammered the governor for having proposed raising the state gas tax.

But recent attempts to use the gas tax for political advantage have fallen flat.

Two years ago, Salisbury attorney Bill Graham spent $2.3 million of his own money to lead an advocacy group calling for capping the state's gas tax. The legislature capped the tax, but Graham was never able to parlay the crusade into a credible campaign for governor.

At the same time, Hillary Clinton (pace John McCain) hammered on the idea of a federal "gas-tax holiday" while campaigning in North Carolina and Indiana.

Her rival, Barack Obama, fought back, arguing the proposal was a "gimmick" and holding it up as an example of "typical of how Washington works."

Has the gas tax played out? Probably not. High gas prices remain a concern for consumers and no tax is ever really all that popular. But the recent elections indicate that it's not enough of a campaign issue to win an election on its own. 

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's latest ad attacks the idea of a gas tax holiday without mentioning Hillary Clinton or John McCain by name.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's latest TV ad uses the words of Gov. Mike Easley to attack rival Hillary Clinton's gas tax proposal.

Bill Graham is making a whistlestop tour of the state by plane.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate flew in a private jet from Wilmington to Raleigh, Greenville and Greensboro today to meet with local reporters and a handful of supporters.

In stop in Raleigh around noon, he said that he has "even money" chances to make it to a runoff, arguing that his Web site has gotten a lot of hits in recent days as undecided voters try to make up their minds for Election Day.

"Folks are still shopping and making their final decisions," he said. 

Graham was a little annoyed that the gas tax — his signature issue in the gubernatorial campaign — has suddenly become a hot topic in the Democratic presidential primary.

"I also find it very ironic that some of the folks on the other side of the aisle have suddenly taken a huge interest in the issue," he said.

Hillary Clinton touted her gas tax holiday proposal during a speech today at Pitt Community College in Greensville. (Staff video by Travis Long)

Gov. Mike Easley is touting the gas-tax holiday on a robocall.

In a 45-second automated call to voters, Easley says Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "know how to turn this economy around and create new jobs right away."

"She'll start by cutting the gas tax and make big oil pay for it out of the record profits for a change instead of you and me," he says.

A voice at the end of the call says it was paid for by the Clinton campaign and gives a phone number, as required by state law.

After the jump, a transcript.

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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's attacks rival Hillary Clinton's proposal for a gas-tax holiday.