Paul Shumaker, Burr's consultant, wrote a letter to Democratic Senate candidate Kenneth Lewis of Durham, saying he could not participate in a forum with the N.C. Medical Society on Friday in Raleigh, Rob Christensen reports. Burr is scheduled to appear before a group of about 75 doctors.

Lewis, the only announced Democratic candidate, had challenged Burr, a Republican to a debate on health care. Burr had discussed a forum and had even talked about televising it with NBC-17.

But Shumaker said Burr decided to appear before the doctors alone, when Lewis was the only Democrat to respond to Burr's invitation.

More after the jump.

   Comments (9)

A top consultant for U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's campaign is paying for a recent survey to avoid any problems with federal elections authorities.

Paul Shumaker has agreed to pay $1,250 for a recent survey conducted by his private polling firm because of concerns about how the Federal Election Commission might view the Burr campaign’s use of the survey data, Roll Call reports.

He said he commissioned and released the poll through his Carolina Strategy Group because he felt some Democratic groups, specifically Public Policy Polling, an automated polling firm also based in North Carolina, were painting a false picture of the current political environment in the state.

But two of the first five questions in the poll asked respondents about Burr’s Senate race. One of those questions asked respondents who they would vote for in a hypothetical matchup between Burr and one of his potential Democratic challengers, North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

Shumaker said he chose the polling questions and added the ballot test to the survey because "nobody pays attention to any of these things if you don’t put in the ballot test."

But Shumaker's dual roles with his company and Burr's campaign put him in a complicated position.

PPP drops hints about who is not running for Senate after the jump.

   Comments (8)

Sen. Richard Burr's campaign is going on the offensive against Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling, which is publishing a steady stream of polls suggesting Burr's re-election is in doubt.

Politico reports that the dispute hasn't attracted much attention from voters, but is an important fight in Burr's re-election campaign because, "more than anyone else, the Raleigh-based firm is driving the narrative that the first-term GOP senator’s reelection prospects are in jeopardy."

“What they’re doing needs to be put into a proper context. Their goal is to inject themselves into the political debate, and they need to be responsible and say, ‘Our agenda is to promote Democratic candidates,’” said Burr consultant Paul Shumaker.

The company's Tom Jensen stands by its numbers. 

“We’re absolutely rooting in the race. We don’t want Richard Burr to get reelected. We wanted Obama to win last fall,” said Jensen. “But our reputation is predicated on getting it right, and we’re not going to cook the numbers just to tweak Richard Burr’s nerves. They are what they are.”

Hat tip: Gosh

Now that 2008 is so last year, the 2010 campaign has begun.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee today put out a new Web video blasting Republican Sen. Richard Burr for telling his wife to take money out of an ATM during the banking crisis, Jim Morrill reports.

"When the banking crisis hit, Sen. Burr reassured the public saying the systems and protections were working," a narrator grimly says. "In private, Burr panicked, and told his wife to go to the ATM and take out as much of their money as she could ... In times of crisis, we need steady and responsible leaders."

Liberal bloggers and Democrats jumped on Burr last month when his ATM comments were reported. Burr has downplayed the flap, saying he did what many people did.

"When you look at the financial industry that is not exchanging capital, it immediately says you better have a little bit of cash set aside," he told a reporter later.

Burr consultant Paul Shumaker says the new ad is typical of what voters should expect.

"No great surprise, considering (Democrats) are still struggling to find a candidate to run in North Carolina," he said.

"North Carolina is a competitive state, these races are national races. We are going to be on the national stage for the next year and a half. This is part of what one can expect from both sides."

* Game on: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee puts out first Web video targeting U.S. Sen. Richard Burr; hits ATM comments.

* Burr's consultant, Paul Shumaker, estimates the race may end up costing a total of $60 million, says Burr is ready for fight. 

* Bicycles may soon be required to have lights on both the front and the back under a Senate bill that passed committee.

* Conservative blogger Joe Guarino thinks U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan should not sign onto a study of the nation's criminal justice system.

Another pollster will be surveying North Carolinians.

A group of Republican consultants and strategists have started Carolina Strategy Group, a business-focused firm that will regularly poll state voters.

Paul Shumaker, a longtime consultant who is currently advising Sen. Richard Burr's re-election campaign, said that he started the firm to pursue business work apart from his political consulting.

"I'm trying to provide a little bit of a buffer," he said.

Other members of the firm include media consultant Jean-Paul Damé, attorney Roger Knight, Virginia consultant Vick Gresham, South Carolina consultant Mark Lisella, attorney Neal Robbins and public relations executive Tim Pittman, the former press secretary for Gov. Jim Martin.

Shumaker said the firm will do two or three polls a month on public opinion issues that could affect business, such as state taxes, but he does not plan to do "horse race" polls on how candidates are doing.

Carolina Strategy Group will be the fourth major pollster in the state, after the Elon University Poll, Democratic firm Public Policy Polling and the conservative Civitas Institute.

TV and radio stations are adjusting their prices for political ads.

Time Warner Cable wants to reset its advertising rates — most likely to raise them — each week between now and the May 6 primary, Mark Johnson reports.

"If this were a hurricane, we'd call it price gouging," said Republican political consultant Paul Shumaker. "The question is whether the public gets upset when it happens to politicians."

Mark Prak, a Raleigh-based communications lawyer, said Time Warner is managing a limited inventory of time when there's a sharp increase in demand for it.

Not only will the increased demand push up prices, but Congress passed legislation in 1972 that guarantees "reasonable access" for themselves and the presidential candidates. State candidates don't get that guarantee.

"The federal candidates get to go to the front of the line," Prak said. He cautioned, though, that campaigns get a price cut that other advertisers don't, and broadcasters try to accommodate all campaigns.