A campaign finance watchdog says university boosters are big givers.

Bob Hall, president of Democracy North Carolina, announced today that two political action committees tied to trustees and boosters of UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State have given heavily to state legislators.

Citizens for Higher Education, which is tied to Tar Heel boosters, gave $485,000 in the 2007-08 election cycle and $425,000 in 2005-06. It was one of the five largest PAC contributors in the last election.

The University Development Coalition, which supports the Wolfpack, gave $100,500 in the last election.

According to Hall's research, 76 percent of the 170 legislators in office today have received contributions from one or both PAC, including Senate leader Marc Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney, who each received $24,000.

Hall said the donations are of interest as the legislature considers whether to end a program that allows out-of-state athletes to pay in-state tuition rates at state colleges.

The program is estimated to cost about $10 million a year.

Pat McCrory is hitting back on political action committee contributions.

After the Republican gubernatorial nominee was criticized by Democratic rival Beverly Perdue for sending a fundraising letter to PACs, he said today that she is a hypocrite.

"My request stated it would help me make constructive change to state government," McCrory said in a statement. " There was no promise of any political favors in return. Perdue, on the other hand, has a record of slipping special provisions in the budget to help special interests who give her large contributions."

He called Perdue "part of the culture of arrogance and corruption" in Raleigh.

McCrory's campaign noted that Perdue received $376,293 in contributions from PACs in 2008, while McCrory received $62,257 — about one-sixth that amount.

The press release was unusual, in that direct attacks on the opponent are typically attributed to campaign staffers and not the candidate.

Update: Perdue spokesman Tim Crowley says McCrory's complaint is a "desperate attempt" to distract voters from a complaint about fundraising by the Republican Governors Association. 

"North Carolina voters won't be distracted, they know that it's Bev Perdue who will fight for our public schools, not blow a $1.2 billion hole in the education budget with private school vouchers and elimination of the lottery," he said in an e-mail to Dome.

A campaign finance group wants an investigation over the Republican Governors Association.

Democracy North Carolina filed a complaint today with the State Board of Elections arguing that the method the national GOP group is using to raise money is unlawful.

According to campaign finance reports, the RGA's North Carolina 2008 Political Action Committee has raised nearly $390,000 to boost the campaign of Republican nominee Pat McCrory.

Democracy North Carolina head Bob Hall says the association raised money from out-of-state donors who aren't being told the money is going to North Carolina. He argues that state law doesn't allow that.

"The PAC is violating the prohibition against accepting contributions made "in the name of another," as well as laws regarding the proper disclosure of the true source of its money," he argues in the letter. "North Carolina law requires a clear and close nexus between the donor and the recipient."

Hall also says that he does not believe the RGA PAC is the only one, and an investigation would help clarify the law.

Elections Director Gary Bartlett said that the board will investigate the complaint.

Beverly Perdue is criticizing rival Pat McCrory for sending lobbyists a copy of a fundraising letter.

The Republican gubernatorial nominee sent a fundraising letter last week to political action committees, promising that "you will have a governor that will work with you to develop solutions."

His campaign also sent copies to lobbyists connected with the PACs.

The involvement of lobbyists is controversial because their job is to influence legislation and other government action. Critics say that allowing lobbyists to raise money for a candidate can create the appearance of a "pay-to-play" system.

State law bans lobbyists from personally giving to candidates and collecting contributions under certain circumstances.

McCrory campaign manager Richard Hudson said the campaign is following the law. It mailed the lobbyists because many still advise the PACs on whom they should support.

"Those are the folks who typically make the decision about where the money's going to go," he said. "My understanding is that's normal procedure." (Char-O) 

A Republican group has moved quickly to take advantage of a change in election laws to raise money from well-heeled contributors across the country to help elect Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory as North Carolina's next governor.

The Republican Governors Association has set up a North Carolina political action committee and raised nearly $390,000 for the "RGA North Carolina PAC" in less than three months, Dan Kane reports.

Most of it has come from a handful of contributors who have shown little or no interest in North Carolina politics in the past. Contributors include top executives of the Coors Brewing Co. in Colorado and the Curves fitness center chain based in Waco, Tex.

The PAC's biggest contributor is James L. Barksdale of Ridgeland, Miss., the former chief executive officer of Netscape. He gave $100,000.

McCrory has made a centerpiece of his campaign changing the culture of state government, which he says is controlled by big-money special interests. But his campaign is welcoming the association's help.

"We certainly aren't concerned if business people from around the country are interested in this race," said Richard Hudson, McCrory's campaign manager. "Especially given the fact that labor union money and special interest money is going to be flowing into the Democratic party to support our opponent."

Democratic rival Beverly Perdue's campaign spokesman, David Kochman, said the McCrory campaign's acceptance of the PAC shows McCrory is not serious about campaign finance reform.

"I think it's ironic that a guy who claims he wants to change the political culture would be welcoming this type of activity," Kochman said.

Beverly Perdue has received $98,500 from health care-related PACs.

Political action committees representing drug companies, health care providers, insurance companies and industry associations were the single largest group of PAC donors to the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, according to campaign finance reports.

They made up about a fourth of the $376,293 she raised from PACs since her re-election in 2004. Other politicians' campaign committees were a close second, contributing $91,933, with about a third of that coming from other Democratic senators.

The biggest donors were the N.C. Hospital Association and the NP PAC, which represents nurse practitioners. Both gave $8,000. PACs for the Asheville Anesthesia Associates and the Association for Home and Hospice Care of N.C. gave $5,000 apiece. 

Drug companies whose PACs donated included GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Roche, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Wyeth, Pfizer and Abbott Labs. Pharmacy chains such as Kerr Drug, pharmacist managers Medco Health and Caremark and the PILL PAC, which represents pharmacists, also gave.

Perdue also received money from trade groups: The N.C. Medical Society, the N.C. Health Care Facilities Association, the N.C. Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the N.C. Assisted Living Association, the N.C. Association of Long Term Care Facilities and the N.C. Orthopaedic PAC. 

Perdue previously worked at a hospital and has made health care one of the signature issues in her campaign.  

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's political action committee has received $848,615 in the last three years.

The Leadership Circle PAC is separate from Dole's campaign committee, so it can receive bigger contributions from donors. As a recent report and database from NPR's Marketplace shows, leadership PACs like it are booming.

Many of Dole's contributors are familiar faces.

Between December of 2004 and December of 2007, her leadership PAC received $20,000 from lieutenant governor candidate Robert Pittenger and his wife, Suzanne; $16,750 from former gubernatorial candidate Bill Graham and his wife, Shari; and $10,000 from SAS co-founder Jim Goodnight.

Other donations came from Raleigh lawyer Kieran Shanahan, CaptiveAire owner Bob Luddy, her husband Bob, Luther Hodges Jr., billionaire resort builder Kirk Kerkorian, Raleigh developer John Kane, and former Dole running mate Jack Kemp.

The Leadership Circle PAC also received money from other PACs, including the Progress Energy PAC, Wachovia Employees Good Government Fund, the N.C. Farm Bureau, and PACs for R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard Tobacco Co., Duke Energy and Federal Express.

A new breed of political action committee may soon come to North Carolina.

Under a change in elections law being discussed at the legislature, PACs that do not work directly with candidates would be allowed to skirt the usual limits on individual contributions. 

At the same time, they could advertise for or against specific candidates. 

The omnibus elections bill, currently in a conference committee, includes a provision that would allow PACs that do not give to candidates or coordinate their efforts with political campaigns to receive unlimited funds.

Kim Westbrook Strach, deputy director of campaign reporting at the State Board of Elections, said the measure was designed to comply with a U.S. Court of Appeals decision in a long-running case filed by the N.C. Right to Life Committee Fund for Independent Political Expenditures.

Currently, Strach said it is the only PAC she is aware of that has not worked with candidates, although she said other PACs could start up by filling out a simple form if the bill passes. 

Hat Tip: Francis De Luca

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have given some money to North Carolina's superdelegates.

According to campaign finance information on Open Secrets, the two Democratic presidential candidates's leadership committees have given a total of $15,000 in recent years to two elected Tar Heels who could play a role in deciding the nomination.

That's a fraction of the $890,000 they have given overall to candidates who are now superdelegates. In both cases, the money went to first-time candidates in North Carolina.

Clinton's HILLPAC gave $5,000 to U.S. Rep. Brad Miller's campaign when he first ran in 2002. (It also donated the same amount to losing candidates Chris Kouri and Erskine Bowles that year.)

Obama's Hope Fund PAC gave $10,000 to Rep. Heath Shuler's campaign when he first ran in 2006.