The parking sign outside the meeting Monday morning called it the "Burr-Bowles Summit" but it could just have easily called it a "love fest."

Republican Sen. Richard Burr and the man he defeated in 2004, Democrat Erskine Bowles, now president of the University of North Carolina, were the stars of the North Carolina Economic Development Summit, Rob Christensen reports.

"I've had a chance to work with this guy for four full years and nobody works harder or smarter for North Carolina than Richard Burr does," Bowles told about 200 people at N.C. Central University. "His focus on this state is truly unbelievable."

In introducing Bowles, Burr said: "Erskine Bowles is the best president of the university system we had the pleasure of having."

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Attorney General Roy Cooper raised $2.8 million in his successful re-election campaign.

Cooper, a Democrat, reported raising $282,193 from Oct. 19 to the end of the year, according to campaign finance disclosures.

Cooper's largest contributors for the quarter included Charles Barker, chief executive of Concord-based ACN, Inc., a telecommunications company; Thomas Belk, chief executive of the Belk department store, Jim and Ann Goodnight; and Michael DeMayo, a Charlotte lawyer.

Cooper also received significant contributions from committees affiliated with Citigroup, GlaxoSmithKline and Smithfield Foods.

Cooper spent $2.5 million on his run for Attorney General. He has $367,000 left in his campaign account.

Gov. Beverly Perdue raised $17.8 million for her campaign.

According to the final campaign finance report filed with the State Board of Elections, Perdue raised $2.4 million from Oct. 19 to the end of the year. 

Her biggest donors that quarter included Pfizer Vice President Marcus Abrams, Brody's owner Hyman Brody, SAS Institute CEO Jim Goodnight, Fortress Investment Group managing director Michael Malone, SMI Motorsports vice president Marcus Smith.

She also received major donations from the Communications Workers of America, Planned Parenthood of Central N.C., the Conservation Council of N.C., the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and PACs for Pfizer, GE, chiropractors and certified public accountants.

Other donations from the campaigns of state Reps. Jim Harrell and Bruce Goforth and Congressman Heath Shuler, among others.

Perdue also spent $17.7 million on her campaign.

Three members of the State Board of Education are in line to travel to China in November, if a few companies open their checkbooks.

Board members Wayne McDevitt, Patricia N. Willoughby and  Melissa Bartlett are invited to a conference of “education ministers” as part of the board's exchange program with China’s Jiangsu Province.

Board chairman Howard Lee said he was looking to raise up to $20,000 for their trip from GlaxoSmithKline, Lenovo, and Jim and Ann Goodnight. Jim Goodnight is the SAS Institute CEO.

The state board and the provincial education department formally agreed this year to collaborate on classroom and student projects, hold joint conference and host exchanges for students and teachers.

Teachers from China visited North Carolina last spring. The N.C. Center for International Understanding sent 23 teachers and principals to China last year. No state money was used for their travel.

This November's conference registration fee includes sightseeing on the final two days, including a visit to the Great Wall, the Olympic stadium and Tiananmen Square.

McDevitt said board members may not be able to stay for the days that include trips to tourist attractions because they want to visit partnership schools.

The partnership aims to give North Carolina students the chance to work on projects with students from other countries, learn other languages and engage in other activities they’ll need for the workplace, said Stephanie Caplan, the center’s spokeswoman.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's political action committee has received $848,615 in the last three years.

The Leadership Circle PAC is separate from Dole's campaign committee, so it can receive bigger contributions from donors. As a recent report and database from NPR's Marketplace shows, leadership PACs like it are booming.

Many of Dole's contributors are familiar faces.

Between December of 2004 and December of 2007, her leadership PAC received $20,000 from lieutenant governor candidate Robert Pittenger and his wife, Suzanne; $16,750 from former gubernatorial candidate Bill Graham and his wife, Shari; and $10,000 from SAS co-founder Jim Goodnight.

Other donations came from Raleigh lawyer Kieran Shanahan, CaptiveAire owner Bob Luddy, her husband Bob, Luther Hodges Jr., billionaire resort builder Kirk Kerkorian, Raleigh developer John Kane, and former Dole running mate Jack Kemp.

The Leadership Circle PAC also received money from other PACs, including the Progress Energy PAC, Wachovia Employees Good Government Fund, the N.C. Farm Bureau, and PACs for R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard Tobacco Co., Duke Energy and Federal Express.