U.S. Sen. Richard Burr might hail from the Piedmont town of Winston-Salem, but any voters wondering where he stands on the important political issue of ‘cue might wonder no more.

Burr will stand up for Eastern N.C. barbecue at a fund-raiser for himself scheduled Wednesday in Washington, reports Barb Barrett.

The "Burr-B-Q Showdown" also will feature Sens. John Cornyn of the Texas beef brisket; Kit Bond of the Kansas City style; and Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander bringing on the Memphis.

Tickets are $2,000 per political action committee and $500 per individual to help host the party; $1,000 per political action committee and $100 per individual to attend. Burr held a similar event last year.

The barbecue dinner, at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is one of several fund-raisers this month in Burr’s honor, according to the Sunlight Foundation, a non-partisan government watchdog group.

Last week included a breakfast and a dinner, and next month there is a golf tournament for Burr scheduled at the five-diamond Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.

Burr is running for his second term in 2010.

Raleigh political consultant Mark Stephens is stepping down from his role at the Republican National Committee's chief fundraiser.

Stephens was on RNC chairman Michael Steele's transition team and then headed fund raising from February through May. Steele announced this morning that Rob Bickhart would being as the party's finance chair, Rob Christensen reports.

"I want to thank Mark for coming to Washington and working hard to help put the RNC on a strong financial foundation — raising $23 million during the transition," Steele said in a statement. "He also led our search team to find the RNC a first-class finance director."

Stephens, who learned his politics as part of the late Sen. Jesse Helms' political organization, has been involved in GOP politics for decades.

He played major roles in former Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaigns and Dole brought him in to serve as executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2006 election cycle.

Brian Nick, who was chief of staff to former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, will open the Washington office for Hollywood-based Republican political consultant Fred Davis.

Davis was the media consultant for both Dole, a Republican, and GOP presidential candidate John McCain last year. He has a reputation for non-traditional television ads. Nick will be opening a new office for his firm, Strategic Perception, in the nation's capital.

"Fred is the most creative mind in the business," Nick said, acknowledging that Republicans likely face another difficult election year in 2010. "He offers the kind of out-of-the-box approach that's needed in this kind of environment."

Nick, an Indiana native, came to North Carolina in 2001 to gear up Dole's successful Senate run, leading a team of young aides who quickly gained a reputation for their uniform navy blazers. He served as Dole's communications director in both her Senate office and, in 2005 and 2006, when she was chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which coordinates Senate campaigns across the country. He was her chief of staff until her defeat in last year's election.

Davis has collected a healthy list of successful candidates, but he may be best known in North Carolina for a puzzling ad for Patrick Ballantine, the 2004 Republican candidate for governor, that resembled a scene from the movie "Firestarter."

It's the equinox of the fall Silly Season.

Your Dome correspondents have sifted through a number of ridiculous claims and counter-claims since this election began, but we haven't posted some because, well, we had slightly better things to do.

That said, we had a few quiet moments this morning and wanted to share them with you:

POTTYMOUTH PAT? The Perdue campaign would like you to hear the clip below of Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory — they say — swearing in a WPTF interview Wednesday. We honestly can't tell if he's saying what they say he said.

SATANIC CONTRIBUTION? The National Republican Senatorial Committee would like you to know that Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan received a donation for $666 around the time of the fundraiser hosted by the founder of the Godless Americans PAC.

LICENSE TO DRIVE? The campaign of Hagan would like you to know that Sen. Elizabeth Dole's "ElizaBus" touring the state right now has a Tennessee license plate, though we're here in North Carolina.

Should we have devoted the waning minutes of the campaign season to digging deeper into these stories or were we right to move on? Let us know in the comments.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's latest ad criticizes U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole for her her work promoting Senate candidates in 2006.

What the ad says: Dole is shown flying in a cartoon biplane with President Bush over a map of the country. Narrator: "Where's Elizabeth Dole been? Campaigning for George Bush's policies. In 2006, she traveled to Pennsylvania, Washington, New Jersey, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Tennessee, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia. Twelve states for Bush, while records show Dole spent only 13 days in North Carolina. The year before: Only 20 days. No wonder she's ranked 93rd in effectiveness. Elizabeth Dole. She'll travel the country for George Bush ... but she's not getting the job done for us. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising."

The background: In 2006, Dole served as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a Washington-based group that helps Republican Senate candidates get elected.

On behalf of the group, Dole visited the 12 states mentioned in the ad, according to contemporary newspaper accounts and an official e-mail from Dole.

There are no formal ties between the group and Bush, although the president would have benefited from Republican control of the Senate.

The Winston-Salem Journal recently analyzed tax-paid travel records, news releases and media coverage to determine how many days Dole spent 13 days in North Carolina in 2006 and 20 days in 2005.

Dole said the newspaper didn't count all the time's she's been to the state at her own expense, although she could not provide documentation of those visits.

The Congressional data service Knowlegis ranked Dole 93rd in the Senate in 2007 in its annual study of effectiveness.

Is the ad accurate? Mostly. The descriptions of Dole's effectiveness, the states she visited in 2006 and the days she spent in North Carolina are accurate. But it is misleading to say that Dole traveled the country for President Bush.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole visited a number of states in 2006.

As head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee that year, Dole campaigned for Republican Senate candidates in a number of states, according to news reports:

Minnesota: In March, Dole traveled in Minnesota on behalf of Senate candidate Mark Kennedy, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 

Montana: In April and August, Dole toured Montana with Sen. Conrad Burns, according to the Associated Press.

Washington: On Aug. 25, Dole appeared at a $100-a-plate luncheon with Washington Senate candidate Mike McGavick, according to The Columbian.

Tennessee: On Aug. 28, Dole toured Eastern Tennessee with Senate candidate Bob Corker, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Michigan: On Aug. 29, Dole went on campaign stops with Senate candidate Mike Bouchard, according to the Muskegon Chronicle.

Pennsylvania: On Aug. 31, Dole spoke at a press conference at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Arizona: On Sept. 22, Dole headlined an entourage of female senators at the Arizona Inn in Tuscon, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

New Jersey: On Oct. 11, Dole traveled in New Jersey, according to The Hotline.

Ohio: On Oct. 16, Dole traveled to Ohio, according to the N&O.

Missouri: On Oct. 18, Dole headlined a breakfast for Sen. Jim Talent, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Virginia: On Oct. 31, Dole appeared with Sen. George Allen at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel, according to the Richmond Times Dispatch.

In addition, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee says an official e-mail from Dole shows she traveled to Nebraska in August.

A new ad in the Senate race seems to assume that Barack Obama will win.

The ad from the National Republican Senatorial Committee argues that electing Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan will give Democrats "a blank check" in Washington.

"Who's the Senate race really about — Hagan or Dole?" the narrator says in the ad. "Neither one. It's about liberals in Washington. They want complete control of the government." 

The ad argues that "the left" wants a supermajority in the Senate to increase spending, expand welfare, appoint liberal judges and cut military spending. 

"Kay Hagan. If she wins, liberals get a blank check," the narrator says.

After recent polls showing Obama with a lead in electoral college, the NRSC ran a previous ad making a similar argument about Hagan and another in an Oregon Senate race.

More ads may be coming from the NRSC. The Republican Party recently tapped into a $5 million line of credit to help salvage Senate seats in states such as North Carolina.

A second ad from the National Republican Senatorial Committee argues that Kay Hagan would give Democrats "a blank check" in Washington.

Outside groups have spent more than $20 million on North Carolina campaigns.

Most of the third-party spending has gone to the U.S. Senate race. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $6.6 million attacking Sen. Elizabeth Dole, while the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent $2.8 million against Kay Hagan.

Freedom's Watch and the National Rifle Association are also spending against Hagan, while the League of Conservation Voters and Citizens for Strength and Security are spending against Dole. At least 11 groups have bought TV ads in the Senate race.

Meanwhile, the Republican Governors Association has spent $4 million against Democraic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue and the Alliance for North Carolina has spent $2.4 million against Republican Pat McCrory. 

National Democrats, Realtors and a gun-rights group have spent money on other state races. (Char-O) 

Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan's husband belonged to a country club that was de facto segregated.

Charles "Chip" Hagan III opposed the policy at the Greensboro Country Club, but remained a member for years before it admitted its first black member in 1995, a Hagan spokeswoman admitted Tuesday.

But she added that Hagan was never a member of the club herself.

"Chip supported broadening the membership to include African Americans and others," spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan said. "Though it took longer than it should have, Greensboro County Club fully desegregated in 1995 and remains so today."

Greensboro was one of the last clubs in the area to integrate, although African-Americans make up about 35 percent of the local population. Chip Hagan inherited the club membership from his father.

The head of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign criticized Hagan for not demanding that her husband leave the club earlier. (Politico)