Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory opened the N.C. Republican Party Convention today with a discussion about how to get the state party back on track.

McCrory, who ran for governor against Beverly Perdue last year, urged convention's attendees to not stray from traditional Republican positions and said the party needs to focus on issues such as lower taxes, nuclear power and alternative energy, school choice and national defense, Kevin Kiley reports.

"We are not going to change the way we feel about the issues," he said.

He said these are areas where most citizens agree with the party.

McCrory also took shots at controvseries surrounding the state's Democratic Party, including former Governor Mike Easley and the controversy surrounding his wife's job at N.C. State University.

"One of the saddest things about losing the governor's race is that my wife can't get a job at N.C. State," he said.

Pat McCrory is staying in the political limelight.

Although the longtime Charlotte mayor is retiring from his current post at the end of this term, he will help kick off the state Republican convention this weekend.

McCrory, who lost a bid for governor in November, will deliver a speech entitled "The Road to Victory" at the beginning of the session Friday.

"As a highly effective mayor and visionary leader, Pat McCrory is just the right person to help North Carolina grassroots Republicans set a course for the future," said party chairwoman Linda Daves in a statement. "Pat is the kind of leader that makes fellow Republicans proud to be on his team."

McCrory recently criticized the House budget proposal.

MSNBC is raising the stakes:

GOP Sen. Richard Burr, who, if he wins re-election in 2010, could end up becoming a rising national star, is taking the lead for the Senate GOP on the issue of health care.

Washington types felt the same way about Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. If he'd won the governor's mansion last year in spite of the Obama blue wave, he would be in the spotlight right now as the new face of the GOP.

On a somewhat related note, Reynolds High is inducting Burr into its sports hall of fame.

A standout high school football player who played in the 1973 Shrine Bowl, Burr went on to play defensive back at Wake Forest University.

Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Fred Smith also played in the Shrine Bowl and went on to Wake Forest.

* Former Gov. Jim Hunt to be featured speaker at 2009 international biotechnology convention in Atlanta, to address science education in states.

* Former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Mike Munger moves to Germany for the summer; Angela Merkel to be mocked shortly.

* Bill drafting director Gerry Cohen outlines the rules behind the upcoming crossover week. Get ready for a hectic week everybody.

* Media consultant J. Mills Holloway, who is running for former Sen. Vernon Malone's seat, has a campaign manager: Marjorie Fields Harris. 

Council of State races cost $26.3 million more in 2008.

According to an analysis by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, state-level non-judicial campaigns cost $80.9 million last year.

That was a 48 percent increase from 2004.

Most of that money came in the races for governor and lieutenant governor, which went from $19.2 million in 2004 to $42.1 million last year.

Other statewide candidates went up slightly, from $7.4 million to $8.1 million.

Legislative races also remained relatively level, with candidates for the House and Senate receiving $30 million in 2008, up from $28.1 million.

More data is available on the nonpartisan group's Web site.

* Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is urging legislators to reject bills that would shelve increases in homeowners insurance premiums.

* North Carolina native Brad Woodhouse will leave a labor-backed group to head communications and research for the Democratic National Committee.

* Democratic pollster finds 69 percent support, 13 percent oppose two-track sex education bill in survey of 1,020 voters from Feb. 13-15.

* Political consultant Thomas Mills reveals how an independent expenditure campaign for the SEIU helped Beverly Perdue win in the mountains.

Talk about rubbing it in.

Gov. Beverly Perdue will open the first satellite governor’s office in Charlotte, in the same building where her opponent, Mayor Pat McCrory, has his office.

Perdue announced Thursday that the governor’s office will lease 1,343 square foot space on the second floor of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The lease is for $1,500 per month for three years starting in March, Rob Christensen reports.

That is the same building where McCrory, the GOP candidate for governor last year, has his mayoral office.

If McCrory has any objections, he will get a chance to have his say. The lease must be approved by the Charlotte City Council before it is final.

While McCrory had strong support in the greater Charlotte area, Perdue actually carried Mecklenburg County the past election, winning 199,677 votes compared to McCrory’s 199,340.

SMOKE? THERE'S FIRE: State Rep. Hugh Holliman is fired up over smoking. On the first day of the legislature, the House Democratic leader reintroduced a bill that would ban lighting up in restaurants and at work. But will it flame out again?

THE UNKINDEST CUT: Gov. Beverly Perdue asked state agencies to propose cuts to help make up for a $2 billion budget shortfall. They came back with $500 million in cuts. Cut deeper, she said. Perdue may want to hand out carving knives ... or chainsaws.

POLL-LAND: Two polling firms, one Democratic and one conservative, have already come out with surveys on the 2010 Senate race between Sen. Richard Burr and ... well, it's too soon to say, but that's not stopping them. Looks like some folks are going through withdrawal.

IN OTHER NEWS: Change may be the mantra in Washington, but the legislature is sticking with the familiar. House Speaker Joe Hackney remains for a second term; Senate leader Marc Basnight, a record ninth. ... U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler earns Blue Dog bona fides by breaking with Democrats and voting against the stimulus bill. Bark? Yes. Bite? Yes. ... Still smarting from his losing gubernatorial campaign, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory is going to work for his brother as a sales consultant. ... State legislators have already filed three bills to bar drivers from calling or texting and banning phones from prison. Would you like to leave a message?

A mailer from the governor's race is also up for a national award.

The piece, called "Big Perks," attacked Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory for accepting a free trip to Paris while mayor of Charlotte.

"You could win a free trip to Paris..." the front of the mailer says, featuring a lottery ticket that says "Big Perks" on it. The back reveals the punchline: "...If your name is Pat McCrory." 

The mailer is one of the finalists in Politics magazine's Reed Awards. It was produced by Thomas Mills Communications, which has offices in Carrboro and Washington, D.C.

Two North Carolina TV ads from last year for Rep. Walter Jones and against Sen. Elizabeth Dole have also been nominated. 

Some of Gov. Beverly Perdue's smaller donations are also interesting.

As previously noted, Perdue raised $17.8 million through the end of 2008 for her successful campaign for governor, including a number of political action committees and big donors.

But some of the smaller donors from her final campaign finance report are also worth noting: 

* Former Supreme Court Justice Burley Mitchell gave $2,000.

* Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner and his wife Jane gave $2,000. 

* Former Sen. Lauch Faircloth gave $2,000.

* Perdue's recently appointed general counsel, Eddie Speas, gave $1,750.

* Administration Secretary Britt Cobb gave $1,000 on Oct. 28. He is the only member of Gov. Mike Easley's Cabinet to remain under Perdue.

* Former Orange County commissioner Moses Carey gave $300. Perdue appointed him chairman of the Employment Security Commission.

* Perdue's deputy campaign manager, David Kochman, and communications staffer Kennetha Smith each gave $250.

* The head of Perdue's gubernatorial endowment effort, Tom Lambeth, gave $200.

* Former U.S. Sen. Robert Morgan gave $200.

* Noted Washington, D.C., political consultant Donna Brazile gave $100.