The race to succeed Sen. Tony Rand as Senate majority leader is on, and Senators Martin Nesbitt, of Asheville, and Dan Clodfelter, of Charlotte, are the early entries.

The two have been making calls to their fellow Democrats in the Senate. Both hail from the more liberal side of the caucus, compared to the more conservative, business-friendly team of Rand, from Fayeteville, and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, of Manteo.

Nesbitt, (above) an Asheville lawyer, chairs the Judiciary 1 committee and is a veteran of intracaucus jockeying from his 11 terms in the House. He has focused many of his efforts on health care and mental health reform. The conservative Civitas Institute ranked him as the most liberal senator.

Clodfelter, (below) a Charlotte lawyer and former city council member, is a co-chair of the tax-writing finance committee and has long been viewed as a future candidate for president pro tem when Basnight retires.

Neither senator returned Dome's calls. Seems they might have some votes to line up.

Sens. Julia Boseman and R.C. Soles Jr. spent the most of any competitive legislative candidate to win their seats.

Boseman, a Wilmington Democrat, spent $871,500 in her race and Soles, a Columbus County Democrat, spent $839,500, according to an analysis of campaign spending by the Program on Public Life at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The list of top spenders did not include candidates who ran unopposed and therefore excludes spending by Senate Leader Marc Basnight, $1.3 million, or House Speaker Joe Hackney, $744,000.

The top spenders in the House were Randy Stewart, a Nash County Democrat ($382,000) and House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat ($354,000).

Democrats control the House and Senate and have powerful fundraising machines in place. On the Republican side in the House, top spenders were Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican ($232,000) and House Republican Leader Paul Stam, an Apex Republican ($196,000).

Among Senate Republicans, top campaign spenders were Sen. Neal Hunt, a Wake County Republican ($813,000) and Richard Gunn, an Alamance County Republican, who spent $386,000, but lost the race to Sen. Tony Foriest, a Democrat.

Sen. Marc Basnight issued a statement Monday about Sen. R.C. Soles.

Soles, a Tabor City Democrat, is under investigation for a shooting incident in which Soles apparently shot a would-be intruder. Basnight didn't comment on the allegation.

"He has been an outstanding Senator on behalf of the people of this state and as effective and dedicated as I've ever seen for the people he represents in his district," Basnight said.

Carter Wrenn likens Gov. Beverly Perdue to an "errant pin-ball."

In a post on his Talking About Politics blog, the Republican political consultant ponders why Perdue's polling numbers are so bad while President Barack Obama continues to fare okay.

Beverly Perdue was a capable State Senator serving under Marc Basnight, a solid Lieutenant Governor (still serving under Basnight), but now that she's running the show she's suddenly darting in a dozen different directions: First ordering spending cuts, then demanding tax increases, then saying it didn't matter which taxes the legislature raised, then telling legislators they'd raised the wrong ones.

She's bounced around like an errant pin-ball until her house of political cards has collapsed, and for the first time in memory the Governor of North Carolina is less popular than a visit from an IRS agent.

Wrenn says Perdue's problems create problems for Democratic lawmakers in next year's election. He says they need to either drop Perdue "like a hot potato" or find away to pump her back up.

After wrangling over hair-braiding, some spending corrections and a handful of last-minute bills, the Senate adjourned Friday afternoon about 4 p.m.

The Senate won't technically be done until Tuesday, but the chamber plans no business as the House winds down its work early next week.

"I will say to the members of the Senate, a job was done. How well, you be the judge," Senate leader Marc Basnight said as he brought the seven-month session to a close.

Basnight said he expects the Senate to take up an annexation reform bill next year as well as a plan to change the state's tax structure. Basnight said the tax reform could be dealt with in a special session this fall, although the House and Gov. Beverly Perdue would have to agree to that.

Update: Perdue was not enthusiastic about a special session. "After this session, I'm just ready for them to go home," she said today.

If there was any sign that the Senate was ready to go home, it was today's debate over House Bill 291, the Cosmetic Art Act.

First, Sen. Don East, a Republican from Pilot Mountain, took objection to the bill's conference report, which didn't include an amendment he added to the bill when it first came through the Senate. He complained that the chamber's leadership left him out of key negotiations.

"The leadership didn't even give me the courtesy of being on the conference committee," East said. "So you can stick this bill where the sun don't shine!" he said, slamming his microphone down on the table.

"You guys get upset about your hairdos," said Senate leader Marc Basnight, who was presiding over the chamber.

Sen. Tom Apodaca (above), in a moment of jest, asked that Basnight, for once, get upset about his hair cut.

"At least mine is real," Basnight replied. "All of you realize he had that implant done," suggesting that Apodaca had hair implants recently. He then added that Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, could probably use a similar procedure.

After a few minutes of laughter, Sen. Doug Berger (below) stood up to speak on the bill, prompting another barb from Basnight.

"What is it that Berger has on his head?" he asked the chamber.

The Senate to expects to pass a version of the bill today. 

Gov. Beverly Perdue and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, both Democrats, offered some observations on taxes a few months ago, before revenue cratered, that vary from what is happening now.

Perdue is prodding lawmakers to raise taxes even more than the $982 million package the House and Senate agreed on Wednesday. But in October of last year, then-candidate Perdue said: "I don't believe you can raise taxes in an economy with folks struggling the way they are."

Basnight leads the Senate Democratic caucus, which agreed to the new tax package. But in January, he was asked about the prospect of broad tax increases this year.

"Is it likely? No, not at all," Basnight said, as quoted by The Insider, a daily newsletter on state government.

This pier is essentially an aquarium on piling, with live animal exhibits, a 16,000-square-foot pier house and wind turbines generating electricity.

The project, at Whalebone, about 2.5 miles south of Nags Head, is drawing heat in North Carolina as an example of extravagant state spending at a time when the state doesn't have money to spare. The fact that the pier sits in the district of powerful Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat, adds fuel to the political fire.

While the pier looks like an easy target, the facts don't quite make it the glowing example of misplaced spending that critics suggest.

No money from this year's state budget will be used, and large chunks of the funding were earmarked for the pier or similar projects well before the recession kicked in.

Much of the pier pressure is about timing. The state is building it at the same time that lawmakers are writing a budget that is expected to pack more students into classrooms, shut down university programs and make scores of other spending cuts.

Republicans roll out the pier as a standard talking point in criticizing the Democrats who have a controlling majority in the legislature.

Basnight begins his defense of the pier with a simple point: Not a dime of this year's state budget will be devoted to building the pier. (N&O)