Who didn't play hooky to see Barack Obama?

As noted previously, three governors in town for a training session at the Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership showed up at an Obama event Monday: Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, Gov. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and former Gov. Roy Romer of Colorado.

Though they were on the guest list, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley did not show.

They had a good reason, of course. The Hunt Institute had scheduled discussions on education all day Monday in Chapel Hill, and seeing Obama meant making a 40-minute drive to Raleigh and missing a healthy chunk of the three-day session.

But it's worth noting who else didn't make the drive: Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Guam Gov. Felix Perez Camacho.

Camacho and Pawlenty have a good excuse: They're Republicans.

For their part, Sebelius, Napolitano and Kaine may not have wanted to fuel further speculation that they'll be picked as Obama's vice president (though that didn't stop Schweitzer from glad-handing.) And Doyle and Sebelius have already done their duties here.

Update: Sebelius and Napolitano were at an Obama fundraiser in Chapel Hill. 

Here's a complete list of Barack Obama's surrogates in North Carolina:

Michelle Obama; Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle; Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius; U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Claire McCaskill of Missouri; U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, John Conyers of Michigan and Danny Davis of Illinois; former Mississipi Gov. Ray Mabus; former U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan of Missouri; former South Carolina politician Inez Tenenbaum; Newark Mayor Cory Booker; former UNC-Chapel Hill basketball star Sam Perkins; actor Kal Penn; actresses Sophia Bush, Alfre Woodard and Tatyana Ali, independent bands Arcade Fire and Superchunk.

Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have sent surrogates to North Carolina.

It makes sense. The candidates can only come in person so often, so they send their supporters and colleagues to make the case for them.

In the best-case scenario, the surrogate is popular in his or her own right and draws a big crowd for a made-for-TV rally. At other times, it can as compelling as the opening of a new shopping center.

Here's a scoresheet of a few of the surrogates sent so far:

THE FIRST SPOUSES: Obama sent his wife, Michelle, to a few big cities; Clinton's husband, Bill, is camping out in small towns. Michelle drew 5,700 in Raleigh, almost three times as many as her husband, but Bill is a superstar in Bubbaland. Advantage: Clinton.

FORMER SITCOM STARS: Obama sent Tatyana Ali; Clinton countered with Erika Alexander. Ali is best known as Ashley on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," while Alexander was Pam on "The Cosby Show." Ali had a bigger role, but Alexander was on a better show. No advantage.

NEW JERSEY MAYORS: Obama dispatched Newark Mayor Cory Booker; Clinton is counting on Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer. Booker has a higher profile among New Yorker readers, while Palmer is president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. But this ain't the Garden State. Disadvantage: Both.

HIGH-PROFILE POLS: Obama has brought in Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle; while Clinton's been touted by U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown and Edolphus Towns and former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe. Advantage: Obama.

It's harder to directly compare some of the other surrogates. Chelsea Clinton was a big draw at local colleges, while the Wayans brothers canceled a trip. Clinton also had some prominent women do a tour, while Obama brought in a Virginia Congressman.

A spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee says North Carolina will not be a battleground in November.

Regional press secretary Katie Wright said that recent claims by James Carville and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle that the state could be in play are not credible. She compared them to predictions in 2004 that John Edwards would help deliver the state.

In that election, North Carolina supported Bush by about 13 points.

"I highly doubt that two of the Senate's most liberal members are going to win in a state that Republicans have not only won by double digits the last two cycles but hasn't voted Democratic since 1976," Wright said in an e-mail to Dome. "We are confident North Carolina voters will continue to see the stark contrast between the Democrat candidates and John McCain's experience, knowledge and positive vision for the future."

She noted that Republicans haven't lost in North Carolina since 1976.

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle Wednesday said Hillary Clinton was not the president to fight the big oil companies to keep gas prices down.

Noting that gas prices had risen 60 cents in North Carolina from a year ago, he said the increase was costing the average North Carolina family an extra $500 per year, Rob Christensen reports.

"While regular people are getting gouged at the pump, oil companies are making record profits and CEO's are making absolute record salaries," Doyle said at a news conference at the local Obama headquarters.

He said Clinton had voted in 2004 for legislation that would provide $10 billion in tax breaks to oil companies.

"Here is the choice you have in North Carolina," he said. "Senator Clinton voted for those half billion tax breaks. Senator Obama wants to end those tax breaks and use that money to support renewable energy."

He salso said that Clinton had taken money from Washington lobbyists who worked for the tax breaks, while Barack Obama does not accept contributions from Washington lobbyists or federal political action committees.

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle argued that Barack Obama would win North Carolina in November.

At a press conference at the campaign's Raleigh office this afternoon, he argued that Obama would make North Carolina a battleground state in the presidential election.

After an introduction by former House Speaker Dan Blue, Doyle noted that Wisconsin was the most closely won state in the 2004 election, with John Kerry winning by just 10,000 votes out of 3 million cast.

He told a group of about three dozen reporters and supporters that Hillary Clinton led early on in the state, but Obama won the state by 18 points after "changing the equation" with significant turnout.

"He won everybody," he said. "He won every demographic group. He eliminated the gender gap. The independent vote came to him in a big way."

Doyle also joked about Davidson College's recent upset win over the University of Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament. 

"I was wondering whether I should show up here," he said. "We were expecting to play (UNC-Chapel Hill) about a week ago."

The political surrogates are coming.

Barack Obama's campaign just announced that another surrogate is coming to North Carolina on his behalf.

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle will campaign in Raleigh on Wednesday and in Greenville, Goldsboro and Wilmington on Thursday.

Dan Leistikow knows North Carolina.

The recently appointed spokesman for Barack Obama's state campaign previously worked for Sen. John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign.

After serving as Edwards' spokesman in Iowa in 2007 and early 2008, Leistikow worked out of the Chapel Hill headquarters. After Edwards dropped out, he became Obama's spokesman in Wisconsin.

Originally from Minnesota, Leistikow worked for several years for Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Missouri Sen. Jean Carnahan.

As North Carolina communications director, Leistikow's name will be in the news here quite a bit in the run-up to the May 6 primary. 

Not sure how to pronounce his name? Take a listen here. 

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."