It's after 6 p.m. and the Gov. Sarah Palin show just got under way. It was supposed to begin about 20 minutes ago, but political events often run late.

But the arena in Greenville is looking not-quite-full, with plenty more space left on the floor around the podium, Barb Barrett reports.

The traveling press hasn't yet arrived, but most of the local press are here, including about a dozen satellite TV trucks outside.

Audience members are still arriving, wearing McCain/Palin t-shirts, hauling official campaign signs, waving gold-and-purple ECU Pirate pom-poms and sporting all kinds of stickers. There are some "handmade" signs too, those sketched out by volunteers last night and with sayings such as "Palin Nation."

The press has been cordoned off from audience members, so interviews with Palin fans aren't possible now.

The teleprompters have been set up for Palin's speech.

On the agenda tonight are brief speeches by State Senate candidates Jean Preston and Louis Pate, gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who is running for re-election. According to the schedule, she's on just before Palin and has 45 minutes.

That could just be cushion for the big event — Palin is scheduled to go on at 7:05 p.m., introduced by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

Mary Fant Donnan won by a two-to-one margin.

The Winson-Salem Democrat sewed up the nomination for labor commissioner in a runoff primary held today.

With all 100 counties reporting, Donnan has 43,217 votes, or 68 percent. Former labor commissioner John C. Brooks has 20,445, or 32 percent. She now faces incumbent Republican Cherie Berry in November.

Turnout was a paltry 1.9 percent.

In a runoff for the Democratic nomination in state Senate District 5, Don Davis beat Kathy Taft, 63 percent to 37 percent. The seat is currently held by retiring Democratic Sen. John Kerr III.

Davis, the mayor of Snow Hill, had slightly edged Taft, a member of the State Board of Education, in a six-way race in the May primary, but failed to garner a majority. He now faces four-term Rep. Louis Pate, a Wayne County Republican.

And in a runoff for the Republican nomination in state House District 67, Justin Burr defeated Rep. Ken Furr, 58 to 42 percent. Burr had slightly edged Furr in a three-way race on May 6.

Furr was appointed to the seat in August of 2007 after former Rep. David Almond resigned. Burr faces no opposition in November.

Republicans have high hopes in nine state Senate races.

Jim Blaine, director of the N.C. Senate Republican Committee, gave Dome a breakdown of the races he thinks the GOP will do well in, based on the filings so far.

Fifth: Rep. Louis Pate Jr., a Republican, faces the winner of a five-way Democratic primary for the open seat of retiring Democratic Sen. John Kerr.

Eighth: Former Wilmington Star-News reporter Bettie Fennell, a Republican, faces Democratic Sen. R.C. Soles Jr. in a district that is changing demographically.

Ninth: Wilmington attorney Michael Lee, a Republican, has filed to run against Democratic Sen. Julia Boseman, who has not yet filed for re-election.

24th: Commercial real estate broker Rick Gunn Jr., a Republican, squares off against Democratic Sen. Tony Foriest.

43rd: Realtor Kathy Harrington, wife of former Rep. Michael Harrington, faces Democratic Sen. David Hoyle in a district that leans Republican.

45th: Boone dentist Jerry Butler has signed up to face Democratic Sen. Steve Goss. Other Republicans may file in this race as well.

46th: State Rep. Debbie Clary, a Republican, faces either Phil Clark or Keith Melton for the seat of Democratic Sen. Walter Dalton, who is running for lieutenant governor.

47th: Former state Sen. Keith Presnell, a Republican, faces Democratic Sen. Joe Sam Queen in a seemingly never-ending grudge match.

50th: Republican Susan C. Pons, who works at a Christian training center, faces Democratic Sen. John Snow.

Fred Smith has given $49,090 to Republican candidates and groups in the past 10 years.

According to a quick review of campaign contributions listed on Open Secrets and Follow the Money, the Republican gubernatorial candidate has been pretty generous.

As with Pat McCrory's donations, the biggest beneficiary was the state party. Between 1999 and 2007, Smith gave the party's executive committee $41,548. He's also donated $1,000 to the Republican National Committee.

The top candidate was Tony Moore, who received $4,000 for a state Senate bid in 2004.

He also gave $1,000 to Patrick Ballantine's unsuccessful bid for governor that year. And in a donation he may have come to regret, he gave $406 to Bob Orr's Supreme Court campaign in 2002.

Orr is now running against Smith for the GOP nomination for governor.

A complete list after the jump.

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