Daniel Johnson, the disabled Navy veteran who challenged Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry last year, has returned to Raleigh, to practice law.

Johnson, 33, left his job as a former Wake County assistant district attorney in 2007 to return to his home town of Hickory to challenge McHenry, Rob Christensen reports. But even in a big Democratic year, he could only win 42 percent of the vote in the strongly Republican 10th district.

"It was a fascinating experience," Johnson said. "It was a very rewarding experience. I want to stay involved and help other candidates."

Johnson is a highly decorated veteran who lost both of his legs while saving the life a crewman in Korea in 1999. He was a former staffer for then-Georgia Sen. Max Cleland.

Johnson said one reason for returning to Raleigh that his wife, Creecy Johnson, has gone to work in the state attorney general's office.

Johnson has opened up a solo criminal defense practice.

"I'm focusing on getting a practice up and running," he said.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole said her husband hit the ceiling when he found out that former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland wrongly accused her last month of voting against the new G.I. bill giving benefits to veterans.

Both Cleland, a Democrat and former Sen. Bob Dole, a Republican, have a bond because both were grievously wounded war veterans, Rob Christensen reports.

At a news conference at VFW headquarters in Raleigh Cleland wrongly accused Elizabeth Dole of voting against the G.I. bill, during a campaign appearance with Democrat Kay Hagan. He corrected himself at a North Carolina event the next day.

"My husband went berserk on that one," Dole said. "To be honest, he called up Max and reminded him that he did not go into Georgia to campaign against him. Frankly, he resented Max coming in here aginst his wife. He said, 'Max, you didn't tell the truth.'"

When former Sen. Max Cleland said it was "unbelievable" that Sen. Elizabeth Dole had voted against the G.I. bill earlier this year, he was right. It was unbelievable.

In fact, Dole had voted for the G.I. Bill of Rights bill, Rob Christensen reports.

But Cleland got it wrong when he spoke at a rally with Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan on Friday in Raleigh.

"It has really angered me that the current U.S. senator that Kay is running against voted against the G.I. bill," Cleland said. "The G.I. bill is one of the great things to come out on veterans benefits that came out in the last 100 years. To vote against it is unbelievable. The G.I. bill is as American as apple pie."

Later in the day at an event in Winston-Salem, Cleland acknowledged that he had "mispoke," according to the Hagan campaign.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan promised today to be attentive to the needs of military veterans, saying she would work for a “world class” health care system.

With former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia at her side, Hagan said she would work to reduce the backlog of veterans claims, work to reduce the number of homeless veterans and make sure that vets have job opportunities, reports Rob Christensen.

Hagan did not criticize her opponent, Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

Cleland, a severely wounded Vietnam vet, took an apparent swipe at U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

"It angered me that your current senator voted against the GI Bill,” Cleland told about 50 people at the state VFW headquarters in Raleigh. “To vote against it is unbelievable.”

President Bush signed a bill in July providing $63 billion over 10 years for increased college aid to service members who served after 9/11. Some Republicans said the bill was so generous it would hurt the military’s ability to retain military members, and backed a less expensive version.

Dole will campaign at a VFW Post in Cary later today with her husband, former Sen. Bob Dole, a wounded World War II veteran.

Correction: An earlier version of the post indicated that Cleland criticized Dole for voting against the GI bill. Dole voted for the bill. Burr initially voted against the bill, but then voted for it on final passage.

Former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland will visit North Carolina this weekend.

The former Georgia senator and administrator of the U.S. Veterans Administration will tour with Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan this weekend.

The two will appear at a town hall in Raleigh Friday and in Winston-Salem and Concord Saturday.

Hagan will unveil new policies on veterans affairs at the town halls, which will be held at two Veterans of Foreign Wars buildings and a Disabled American Veterans building.