The State Employees Association of North Carolina has made its endorsements.

The group's Employees Political Action Committee, also known as EMPAC, made 16 endorsements in statewide races after meeting Saturday.

"We're thrilled to support candidates who support the state's working families and the retirees who dedicated their careers to serving North Carolina's citizens," said SEANC President Linda Rouse Sutton. 

Although most are Democrats, there is one Republican: State Auditor Les Merritt.

They also endorsed several other incumbents: Attorney General Roy Cooper, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson and Appeals Court Judges John Arrowood, Doug McCullough, Linda Stephens and Jim Wynn.  

The others: Beverly Perdue for governor, Walter Dalton for lieutenant governor, Wayne Goodwin for insurance commissioner, Ronnie Ansley for agriculture commissioner, Mary Fant Donnan for labor commissioner, Suzanne Reynolds for Supreme Court and Kristin Ruth for Appeals Court.

SEANC, which is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, has 55,000 members.

It was a good night for female candidates.

Aside from Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beverly Perdue, the Senate race will be between Kay Hagan and Elizabeth Dole.

Meantime, Janet Cowell is ahead in the state treasurer race, Beth Wood is ahead in the satte auditor's race, June Atkinson beat back a rival in the state superintendent's race, while Kristin Ruth and Jewel Ann Farlow were finalists for the state Court of Appeals.

In addition, Mary Fant Donnan is in the primary runoff for Labor Commissioner on the Democratic side.

Hillary Clinton may not have won the primary, but she likely brought more female voters to the polls. 

Suzanne Reynolds is working the crowd at the Young Democrats convention.

As a candidate for the nonpartisan state Supreme Court, Reynolds said there was nothing wrong with campaigning at a clearly partisan event.

"It's where excited voters are," she said.

Reynolds compared her Democratic voter registration to her specialty of law, saying both are facts about her that curious voters might want to know.

"I think it's relevant that I'm a registered Democrat," she said. "Where candidates cross the line is when they characterize themselves as Democratic or Republican judges."

Reynolds' opponent, Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds, has stressed his Republican ties at recent GOP events.

A law professor at Wake Forest University, Reynolds has been on the short list for judicial appointments before, but she said she never wanted to run until the position was made nonpartisan and the state created public financing for judicial candidates.

"I didn't have the stomach for that," she said.

N.C. Court of Appeals candidates Kristin Ruth and Linda Stephens are also at the event.

Aside from the invited speakers, a few other big-name Democrats will be on hand at today's Young Democrats convention. 

U.S. Senate candidates Kay Hagan and Jim Neal; gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore; lieutenant governor candidates Dan Besse, Pat Smathers, Hampton Dellinger and Walter Dalton; state treasurer candidates Janet Cowell, David Young and Michael Weisel; Court of Appeals candidate Kristin Ruth, and a number of state House and Senate candidates.

Melissa Price, vice president of the Young Democrats, said as many as 500 people may show up. Since it was announced that Chelsea Clinton would be speaking, tickets have been selling more quickly than usual, she said.

"I've been getting phone calls of people wanting tickets for the last few days," she said.

The organization has between 600 and 800 members statewide, ages 18 to 35. 

"We're young professionals," said Price, 25, who works in a Raleigh law firm. "We've got young families. We're new to the workforce. WE are the people fighting in Iraq."

The N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers has announced its support of five judicial candidates and three Council of State candidates.

The Academy endorsed Janet Cowell for state Treasurer and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Insurance Commissioner Jim Long received its endorsement for re-election.

The group also will back Court of Appeals incumbents Chief Judge John Martin, Judge James A. Wynn Jr., and Judge Linda Stephens, as well as Supreme Court challenger Suzanne Reynolds and Court of Appeals challenger Wake County District Court Judge Kristin Ruth.

Previously, the group endorsed Beverly Perdue for governor.

Academy Chief Executive Officer Dick Taylor said the Academy will consider more endorsements as the campaign season continues.

Two Triangle-area District Court judges have announced that they plan to run next year for the N.C. Court of Appeals, Andrea Weigl reports.

Wake District Court Judge Kristin Ruth plans to seek the seat currently held by Court of Appeals Judge John Tyson. District Court Judge Pat DeVine, who holds court in Orange and Chatham counties, plans to run against incumbent Douglas McCullough.

Both women have served on the District Court bench since 1998.