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Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan had produced a video talking about her opposition to the constitutional amendment on the May 8 ballot banning same sex marriages and civil unions.

Neither of North Carolina's are very popular, according to a new poll.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr has an approval rating of 33 percent, and a disapproval rating of 39 percent, according to a survey by Public Policy Polling. Twenty-eight percent of the voters had no opinion.

Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan's numbers were not much better. Her approval rating was 38 percent and her disapproval rating was 42 percent, with 21 percent undecided.

The survey of 975 voters was taken April 4-7.

Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan has come out against the constitutional amendment banning same sex marriages, saying it would harm North Carolina's business climate.

In a statement released Wednesday to the gay press and groups, Hagan voiced her opposition to the amendment that will be on the May 8th ballot and urged all North Carolinians to vote against it..

“In today's hyper partisan political environment,” Hagan said in a statement, “I view any attempt to alter our state constitution with a critical eye.

“Amendment One has far-reaching negative consequences for our families, our children and our communities,” she said. “North Carolina is one of the most business-friendly states in the nation, and this amendment would harm our state's ability to recruit the innovators and businesses that are driving our economic recovery. Jobs are my number one priority, and we cannot afford to take our eye of the ball and give businesses a reason to grow and expand elsewhere.''

Sen. Kay Hagan visited Wake Tech today as part of her state-wide tour to under score the need to do more to address North Carolina's high unemployment rate.

The Greensboro Democrat toured the Simulation and Game Development Program to hear more about efforts to train people for the 40 simulation game companies operating in the Triangle.

Having companies and community colleges working more closely together is central to her America Works Act, which she introduced last year. The bill encourages industries to set the skills they need so schools train students to meet those skills.

This was the second stop of what Hagan bills as her “North Carolina  Back to Work Jobs Tour” in which she plans to stop at manufacturing plants, job fairs, community colleges and other facilities to learn more about what the federal government should be doing to reduce unemployment.

“Too often political pundits say nothing is going to be done  this year, its an election year,” Hagan said at a news conference. “But let me tell you, we have 450,000 unemployed people in the state right now. They don't want to hear that. I didn't go to Washington to sit on my hands until the next election.''

In a crowded Democratic field for governor, only Erskine Bowles can match Republican Pat McCrory at this point, according to a poll released Monday.

Bowles, the former two-time U.S. Senate candidate, trails McCrory 44 to 42 percent in a hypothetical matchup -- a virtual deadlock with McCrory's advantage within the 4.2 percent margin of error. The problem: Bowles isn't in the race yet.

The Public Policy Polling survey tested 13 Democratic candidates against McCrory, the likely GOP nominee and former Charlotte mayor, after Gov. Bev Perdue dropped out. Pollster Tom Jensen argues that Democrats have a better chance with Perdue out of the race. In a generic partisan matchup, voters split evenly -- 46 percent supporting a Democratic candidates and 45 percent supporting a Republican. 

Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan said she will cross the aisle and sit with Republican Sen. John McCain at next week's State of the Union address.

This is part of an effort to have members of different parties sit together during the speech to symbolize an effort to work together.

“I remain committed to overcoming the destructive partisan bickering that prevented progress on a host of important issues for the American people,” Hagan said.

North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan are part of congressional delegation visiting Africa, including a meeting with U2 singer and AIDS activist Bono in Ghana.

Burr, a Republican and Hagan, a Democrat, are two of six senators and a congressmen who arrived last Thursday in Africa and are scheduled to be there through Friday, according to The Daily Republic of Arizona.

Besides Burr, the delegation includes Senators John Thune of South Dakota, Lindsey Graham of  South Carolina, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Kay Granger of Texas.

Besides meeting with Bono, the group met with Joshua Bolten, former chief of staff to President George W. Bush, who joined the delegation and Bon in seeing the progress that has been made in fighting AIDS at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, according to ONE, a grassroots advocacy group.

The Senate is in recess until January 23. The trip has been kept under wraps for security reasons.

Sen. Kay Hagan is pressuring India to allow the sale of more North Carolina chickens and turkeys.

Hagan joined with 19 other senators in writing to U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk to fight for the nation's poultry producers during his visit to India in mid-January.

They are pressing Kirk to get India to change its policies denying the American poultry industry access to India's market.

Poultry is North Carolina's top agriculture commodity. North Carolina ranks second in total turkey production and is third in total poultry production.

“North Carolina's hardworking poultry producers are missing out on valuable export opportunities because of India's current trade barriers,” Hagan said. “I urge Ambassador Kirk to stand strong on the issue on his upcoming trip to India and to fight for our farmers and our families, not just in North Carolina but across the country.”

Over the last five years, Indian trade policies on viral disease avian influenza have prevented the import of poultry from a number of countries including the U.S.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan is attending tonight's Veterans Day Carrier Classic basketball game on theUSS Carl Vinson with President Obama, Washington correspondent Franco Ordonez reports.

The Tar Heels are set to take on the Michigan State Spartans in the first-ever college basketball game aboard a United States Navy aircraft carrier.

Hagan, a Democrat,  has entered a friendly wager with Democratic Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.   Hagan has staked some Bojangles chicken and biscuits against a case of Vernor's ginger ale.

Attorney General Roy Cooper is putting pressure on North Carolina's two senators to oppose a U.S. Senate resolution that he says could hurt the state’s efforts to protect its air quality from the emissions of out-of-state power plants.

Washington correspondent Franco Ordoñez reports that Cooper sent Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Kay Hagan a letter Tuesday urging them to oppose a resolution that would void new rules by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

The resolution is scheduled for a vote in the Senate on Thursday.  House members have already approved it but it's not expected to pass the Senate.

Burr was one of the 30 plus members who signed a petition to allow the resolution to come to a vote.

The rules require 27 states to significantly improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and fine particle pollution in other states.

“These out of state emissions are linked to increased incidence of premature mortality, asthma, chronic bronchitis and other cardiopulmonary illnesses in North Carolina,” Cooper wrote.