Durham attorney Kenneth Lewis announced that he had raised $109,513 for a U.S. Senate bid next year.

Lewis has hired Joe Trippi, a veteran national media consultant who most recently had run the presidential campaigns of John Edwards in 2008 and Howard Dean in 2004, reports Rob Christensen. Trippi will be overseeing the launch of Lewis’ online fund raising, Lewis said.

Trippi, in a statement, said Lewis had the life story, and the vision to raise money nationally on line.

Also helping Lewis is Joyce Fitzpatrick, a Raleigh public relations executive and a member of Lewis finance committee.

Lewis began to become known in political circles last year as a fund raiser for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Lewis, 47, has worked 20 years as a corporate attorney. The grandson of sharecroppers, Lewis graduated from Duke University and Harvard law school. He and his wife and three children live in Chapel Hill.

He is one of a number of Democrats who are looking at challenging Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year. Other include former state Sen. Cal Cunningham and Congressmen Mike McIntyre and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

The guest list at the Hillary Clinton event at Wake Tech includes a few notables.

State Sen. Vern Malone, Reps. Tricia Cotham and Ronnie Sutton, former Ambassador Jeanette Hyde, Raleigh City Councilwoman Mary Ann Baldwin and Wake County Commissioner Lindy Brown.

Also on the list: Raleigh attorneys Bruce Thompson and Michael Petty, Raleigh public relations executive Joyce Fitzpatrick and former N.C. Industrial Commission chairman Buck Lattimore.

The most interesting name: Muriel Offerman.

Offerman is a still offically undecided superdelegate to the Democratic Convention. As we reported last week, Clinton personally called Offerman's work phone.

Maybe she's not so undecided after all...

Update: Dome also spotted Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams among the honored guests.

IOWA CITY, Iowa—Several hundred supporters of John Edwards have been pouring into Iowa during the final week of the campaign including a substantial delegation from North Carolina.

Among the Tar Heels that arrived in Iowa are Raleigh attorneys Ed Turlington, Bob Spearman and Gus Gusler and Raleigh public relations executive Joyce Fitzpatrick. Also in the state is former Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf, Rob Christensen reports.

"I thought it would be fun," said Waldorf. "It's a once in a lifetime experience."

The volunteeers have been manning the telephones and doing door-to-door canvassing to help Edwards in Thursday's criticial Iowa caucus.

Don Beason has released a statement on his decision to quit.

His spokeswoman, Joyce Fitzpatrick, sent an e-mail to reporters this afternoon:

Late yesterday I contacted the Secretary of State informing her that I wish to resign as a registered lobbyist effective immediately. I want to provide my clients with the opportunity to make other arrangements for representation before the North Carolina General Assembly. I enjoyed my work and appreciate the opportunity I had to serve my clients. However, I feel this is the right thing for me to do. 

It was signed "Donald R. Beason." 

Hat Tip: David Ingram 

A spokeswoman for Don Beason said he will continue working.

Joyce Fitzpatrick, a Raleigh communications consultant who sent out an earlier statement from Beason, said that he was in contact with nearly all of his clients today after the news broke that he had loaned Jim Black $500,000.

"He received a lot of support from them," she said.

Beason's 16 clients listed on the N.C. Secretary of State Web site include BB&T, Carolina Ballet, Cingular Wireless and Dale Earnhardt Inc. Two clients, Progress Energy and the city of Hickory, have expressed doubts about continuing his services.

Fitzpatrick referred further questions to Beason's attorneys, Ed Hinson of Charlotte and Wade Smith of Raleigh.

Smith was at Black's sentencing hearing today, but he had no comment.