The Pitt County Republican Party and a voter are suing over Democratic fundraising methods.

In a lawsuit filed this week, the plaintiffs allege that the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is circumventing a law barring corporate money from being used in state campaigns, the Associated Press reports.

"The injunction sought in this lawsuit is essential to the voters in North Carolina if we are to have a fair and honest election conducted on a level playing field," said Kieran Shanahan, the plaintiffs' lawyer said in a news release.

Matt Compton, a spokesman for the DLCC in Washington, said the lawsuit would be dismissed.

"We feel that this is a classic publicity stunt lawsuit," he said. "There's nothing to it."

The GOP and voter Kimberley Hendrix allege that the DLCC accepts corporate contributions and transfers it to the DLCC North Carolina Political Action Committee.

The State Board of Elections is also investigating the PAC.

Mary Fant Donnan is counting on the Triangle.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for labor commissioner said that Wake, Durham and Orange counties will be key in her upcoming runoff with former commissioner John C. Brooks.

Because there are no other statewide runoffs next Tuesday, Donnan said that turnout will be pretty low except in areas where a local runoff is also on the ballot.

In Durham County, a countywide school board runoff, and in Orange County, a county commissioner district-wide runoff will draw voters to the poll. And Donnan said past results show Wake County typically does well in runoff turnout because of a general interest in state government.

"There's a fair amount to do in the Triangle because all three counties have something that will bring voters out already," she told Dome.

She said that legislative runoffs in Wayne, Greene and Pitt counties could also draw voters.

A failed attempt to ban smoking in public places drew some interesting comments this week.

Reader nchoya92 wondered why advocacy groups like the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society weren't more actively supporting the ban.

It's a bit sad that the bill has to get tabled so often to scrounge up the votes for something the public would (my guess) easily pass if it were up to a ballot initiative.

Meantime, reader ejohn noted that "high end restaurants and bars" have already gone smoke-free, though many "blue collar restaurants" lag behind.

I say, let the lawmakers impose the ban and let us all enjoy clean air at any restaurant of our choice in NC.

And, in our Comment of the Week, reader markezzell pointed out an interesting pattern in the votes and gave some good context:

All of Pitt County's House members votes against the smoking ban. Much like Durham County, Pitt County has altered their economy so that healthcare - not tobacco farming - is the region's mainstay. With this vote, the Pitt County delegation seemed to have forgotten that. It'll be interesting how today's Pitt County residents will react to this anti-health vote.