Gov. Mike Easley said that Jesse Helms was always a gentleman to him.

"Whether you liked his politics or not, he was a national force able to deliver for his constituents," Easley said in a statement. "We last appeared together when the Navy named a submarine after North Carolina at his request. He certainly didn’t shy from controversy and you always knew what his positions were.  Whether we were working together to stop international drug trafficking or opposing each other on the campaign trail, he was always a gentleman to me."

Linda Daves, chairwoman of the state Republican Party, said it was fitting that Helms, who she described as a "great patriot"  died on Independence Day.

"Jesse Helms was larger than life and it is entirely fitting that he would join Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson and John Adams as making his last day the Fourth of July," Daves said in a statement.  "Senator Helms will be a man who is remembered for loving his country, the state of North Carolina and for doing whatever was in his power to work for the people with their best interests in his heart....No great man, no matter his era, is short of controversy. I know Jesse would have expected as much.  Those who knew him personally knew him to be a man with a kind, gentle soul who exuded warmth and lifted up those around him." 

Linda Daves is attacking Mike Easley's trip to Italy.

In a statement to the press, the chairwoman of the N.C. Republican Party says that the governor should not have spent $170,000 to go to Italy.

"Rising gas prices have caused many North Carolina families to cancel their vacations this summer," she said in the statement. "At a time when North Carolina families are struggling to make ends meet, they should not have to foot the bill for the Governor’s exploits abroad."

Daves says that Easley should either return the money or show the results of his trip. 

The N.C. Republican Party wants to know why a few top Democrats weren't at Barack Obama's rally today.

In a statement, party chairwoman Linda Daves noted that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue, Senate candidate Kay Hagan and lieutenant governor candidate Walter Dalton were "nowhere to be found" today:

Could it be that on the day Barack Obama announces the beginning of the general election campaign that Democrats have begun to distance themselves from the Senate's most liberal member? These Democrats can't run from Obama any more than they can run from their records of the largest increases in taxes and spending in the history of our state during their time in Raleigh. 

Hagan's campaign said she had previous commitments but would campaign with Obama in the future. The Perdue campaign did not return a telephone call. 

The head of the South Carolina Republican Party will speak in Greensboro.

GOP Chairman Katon Dawson will be a special guest for an evening banquet at the North Carolina Republican Party convention on Friday.

"Chairman Dawson has been a visionary leader for the South Carolina Republican Party as well as a friend to North Carolina Republicans and a voice for consistent, conservative principles on the national stage," said N.C. Chairwoman Linda Daves in a statement. 

The convention will be held Friday through Sunday at the Joseph Koury Convention Center. 

State Sen. A.B. Swindell won't return $300 in campaign contributions he has received from Boyce Allen Hudson, a former state official who admitted to soliciting a bribe.

Swindell, a Nashville Democrat, said he has known Hudson for more than 25 years and considers him a friend. Hudson's wife, Maureen Hudson, is an assistant in Swindell's senate office. Hudson pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to extortion and money laundering. The charges arose from a scheme in which Hudson promised to guarantee a permit for an ethanol company in exchange for cash and a two-year consulting contract.

"I certainly don't cast my friends in a ditch," Swindell said. "This plea was between him and the courts. Obvously, my relationship with him has been as a friend and a professional."

On Friday, the state Republican Party issued a news release calling on Swindell to return the contributions: $100 given in 2000 and $200 given in 2008.

"Though Sen. Swindell may not have known of Boyce Hudson’s illegal activity, he badly misjudged the man’s character. Sen. Swindell should return his tainted money immediately," state GOP chariwoman Linda Daves said in a statement.

More after the jump.

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Jerry Meek says a Republican attack on Sen. Walter Dalton is off-base.

The state Democratic Party chairman told Dome that a criticism from the state Republican chairwoman about the candidate for lieutenant governor's requested $277 million in state appropriations this year misses the benefits the bills would bring.

"If you look at the appropriations that Senator Dalton has proposed, you'll see programs that help families protect their homes from foreclosures, help bring jobs and infrastructure to rural North Carolina, improve education and invest in programs that help the developmentally disabled," he said.

He said that Republican chairwoman Linda Daves and Republican lieutenant governor nominee Robert Pittenger "haven't met a good idea that they were not against."

"I think we expect our leaders to show leadership and not just oppose things without actually looking at them," he said. "These are all strong programs that are going to help North Carolina, and I think Senator Dalton is on the right track by promoting them."

Dalton, who was at a funeral today, was not available for comment. 

The state Republican Party is attacking Sen. Walter Dalton's proposed spending.

In a statement sent to the media, party chairwoman Linda Daves noted that — per a recent Dome item — the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor has sponsored or cosponsored appropriations bills totaling $277 million this session.

His Republican opponent, former state Sen. Robert Pittenger, cosponsored bills worth $1.9 million.

"There could not be a clearer contrast between two candidates on the issue of fiscal responsibility than what we have in this year's race for Lieutenant Governor," she said. "While Walter Dalton has been one of the top appropriators as part of the entrenched Democrat power in Raleigh, Robert Pittenger has consistently been an advocate for smaller, smarter, more efficient government."

She said Dalton has a "typical tax and spend mentality," while Pittenger "consistently opposed the excess, pork, and waste" of the legislature.

The state’s Democratic congressional delegation hosted a fundraiser this morning in Washington for Daniel Johnson, a candidate for the 10th Congressional District seat.

Johnson is challenging Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry of Cherryville in November.

The fundraiser was held at Tortilla Coast, a popular restaurant about a block from the House row of office buildings on Capitol Hill. Most tickets ranged from $250 to $1,000 a plate, though House staffers could get in for $100, reports Barb Barrett.

The event was hosted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its chairman, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, along with U.S. Reps. David Price, Bob Etheridge, Mel Watt, Heath Shuler, Brad Miller and G.K. Butterfield.

Of Tar Heel representatives, only U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre’s name was omitted. Spokesman Dean Mitchell said McIntyre was a host, but that the invitation was sent before the office’s official approval. McIntyre was not able to attend.

State Republicans jumped on the fundraiser as proof that Johnson is a Washington-backed politician. GOP Chairwoman Linda Daves today wrote Johnson a letter:

Only a few days after issuing a patently false press release claiming that your pockets have not been stuffed with cash from Washington liberals and attacking Congressman McHenry for pointing that out, I am shocked and appalled to discover that you are in Washington today for a fundraiser hosted by several liberal, Washington politicians.

You owe Congressman McHenry and the people of Western North Carolina an apology.

State Republican party chairwoman Linda Daves blasted the work of a panel convened to review the state's policy toward electronic public records.

Daves said the committee's recommendations, which include more training for state employees and a five-year archive for messages, don't stop state employees from improperly deleting e-mail messages. 

"The group studies the issue for two months on the taxpayer dime and then releases recommendations that don't even address the problem for which the panel was originally convened," Daves said in a statement. "This is a perfect example of Raleigh politics. Speak loudly. Do nothing."

The state chapter of the NAACP today demanded the removal of a recent ad by the N.C. Republican Party.

The chapter was referring to the ad that attacks Democratic gubernatorial candidates Richard Moore and Beverly Perdue, and uses video of Barack Obama's former minister, Jeremiah Wright, to criticize their endorsement of Obama, reports Titan Barksdale.

Rev. William Barber II, president of the state's chapter, said the ad injects racist politics into the election process, and is meant to be divisive. He defended Wright, saying the video used in the ad takes Wright's comments during a sermon out of context.

"This ad is a snippet of a very thoughtful and profound sermon," Barber said. "Rev. Wright's messages are not much different from the messages being preached in many North Carolina churches — black and white."

Barber said the NAACP has sent a letter to Republican chairwoman Linda Daves requesting an explanation of the ad's intent.

Members of the Alliance of N.C. Black Elected Officials, a group of black leaders across the state, also attended the news conference.