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.

Recent Senate bills of note:

S.B. 461: North Carolina Racial Justice Act, Sen. Floyd McKissick

S.B. 478: Modify School Calendar Law, Sen. Don East

S.B. 491: Expunge Nonviolent Crimes, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird

S.B. 500: Raise Homestead Exclusion Income Limit, Sen. Austin Allran

S.B. 515: Prohibit Penning of Wildlife, Sen. Neal Hunt

S.B. 520: NC to Consider Off Shore Drilling, Sen. James Forrester

S.B. 525: Video Game Producer Tax Credit, Sen. Julia Boseman

A few recent Senate bills of note:

S.B. 131: Penalty for DWI Conviction/BAC .20 or Higher, Sen. Don Vaughan

S.B. 137: Military Death / In-State Tuition / Dependant, Sen. Neal Hunt

S.B. 138: Salvia Divinorum Schedule I, Sen. Bill Purcell

S.B. 147: Tax Credit for Energy-Efficient Homes, Sen. A.B. Swindell

S.B. 155: Community Colleges Can't Admin Illegal Aliens, Sen. Phil Berger

S.B. 157: Eminent Domain, Sen. Phil Berger

* Washington political predictor Stuart Rothenberg ranks U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's 2010 re-election race as "narrow advantage for incumbent party."

* Health care consultant Adam Searing suggests one way legislators could cut costs at the State Health Plan: Remove themselves from it's coverage.

* President Obama says he wants to modify "Buy American" provisions in the stimulus bill, presumably including one by freshman Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell.

* State Sen. Neal Hunt takes another run at the windmill with a bill that would call for at-large elections of several seats on the Wake County school board.

"Which Republicans voted for the Democratic leadership in the legislature?" — Caller

Members of the state House of Representatives and Senate select their own leaders on the first day of session.

The majority, which is Democratic in both chambers this year, typically votes for one of its own, while the Republican minority puts forward its own candidate.

Still, legislators can cross over to vote for the other side.

This year, Republican Sens. Fletcher Hartsell of Concord and Richard Stevens of Cary both voted for Democratic Sen. Marc Basnight as president pro tem on the first roll call.

Before the votes were totaled, however, Republican Minority Leader Phil Berger, who was also running, moved to elect Basnight by acclamation — essentially a unanimous voice vote.

This next part is a little tricky. In order to prevent anyone from calling another vote in the future and toppling Basnight, his chief lieutenant, Sen. Tony Rand, asked for yet another vote, known as a "clincher."

Twelve of the 20 Senate Republicans voted for Basnight on that vote: Sens. Austin Allran, Stan Bingham, Harris Blake, Debbie Clary, Don East, James Forrester, Hartsell, Neal Hunt, David Rouzer, Bob Rucho, Stevens, and Jerry Tillman.

In the House no Republicans voted for Speaker Joe Hackney, a Democrat. House Republicans voted for the minority leader, Rep. Paul Stam.

Sen. Neal Hunt
Raleigh Republican
Third Term

What two things would you cut in the state budget? "I would reduce the number of mandates in Medicaid." He said drug-treatment programs such as methadone for heroin addicts do not need to be picked up by the state. He also said that he would redo the transportation equity formula so that urban areas have more state tranpsortation money.

Are there any taxes you would be in favor of increasing? "No."

— Dan Kane 

The robocalls are coming fast and furious now.

After the jump, a list of recent automated phone calls to North Carolinians based on reader submissions.

As always, send your reports of robocalls to dome@newsobserver.com

   Comments (13)

Here's a mostly complete list of John McCain's surrogates in North Carolina for the general election:

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, wife Cindy, son Doug, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, former Sen. Bob Dole, former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, former Arkansas Rep. Asa Hutchinson, Republican National Committee deputy chairman Frank Donatelli; Republican Party chairwoman Linda Daves, former N.C. Republican Party chairman Ferrell Blount, state Sen. Neal Hunt, House Minority Leader Paul Stam, state Reps. Ric Killian, Nelson Dollar and Harold Brubaker, Dr. Jeanne and David Smoot, country music singer Cowboy Troy, Nascar team owners Jack Roush and Joe Gibbs, former Nascar driver Richard Petty and former prisoner of war Col. J. Quincy Collins Jr.

A campaign finance reform group has praised 21 legislators for their openness.

Democracy North Carolina identified a group of state lawmakers who are doing "a superior job" identifying occupations and employers of their donors on campaign finance forms.

Though candidates are required to make their best effort to identify all donors, many fall short, listing only names, dates and amounts.

The group singled out legislators who raised more than $15,000 and provided full information on 98 percent or more of donors, including Senate President Marc Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney, both Democrats.

From the House: Democrats Tricia Cotham, Jim Crawford, Margaret Dickson, Rick Glazier, Bruce Goforth, Deborah Ross, Russell Tucker, Jennifer Weiss and Verla Insko, and Republican David Lewis.

From the Senate: Democrats Charlie Albertson, Doug Berger, Linda Garrou, Clark Jenkins, A.B. Swindell and Republicans Pete Brunstetter, Neal Hunt, Richard Stevens and Jerry Tillman.

"It's crucial for the public to have the full picture about the candidates before they vote — and the pattern of where a campaign’s money comes from is an important part of that picture," said Kaitlin Stollbrink, an intern at Democracy North Carolina.

Fred Smith has also given donations through his campaign.

The Friends of Fred Smith committee, formed for his first Senate run in 2002 and closed in 2007, gave $100,400 in donations to other Republican candidates.

The biggest beneficiaries were the N.C. Senate Republican Committee, which received a total of $41,800 in 2004, and the Johnston County Republican Party, which received a total of $7,000 that year.

Smith's committee also gave $4,000 apiece in 2004 to several Republican Senate candidates, both successful—Jim Jacumin, Harris Blake and Neal Hunt—and unsuccessful—Margaret Carpenter, Harold Frazier, Harry Brown, Chuck Tyson, Tony Moore, James Testa, and Jack Swann.

Also that year, he gave $2,000 to Senate candidates Beverly Moore and Dennis Nielsen and state Auditor Les Merritt; $1,000 to John Odoom and Ron Toppin; $1,000 apiece to Rep. David Lewis, a Johnston County commissioner candidate and a judicial candidate; $500 to a school board candidate; and $100 to the N.C. New Majority Republican Council.