Bob Hunter introduced himself to Dome recently.

At the Wake County Republican Party's annual President's Day Dinner, the Greensboro attorney came over and shook Dome's hand. "Bob Hunter," he said.

We asked, facetiously, which Bob Hunter.

(The answer is obvious, since the sitting Appeals Court judge hangs more with a Democratic crowd.)

"The good-looking one," said the Republican Hunter. Then, after two seconds of indecision, he amended his response: "The bad-looking one," he said.

Just when we thought we'd found a way to tell them apart. 

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole needs your sweat and tears, but not your blood.

The Salisbury Republican ended her speech at the President's Day Dinner last night with an anecdote about her days as head of the American Red Cross, which distributes half of the country's blood supply.

"I used to go out and walk and talk to people," she said.  "I would go up to tables and say I need three things from you: I need your time, I need your money and your blood."

The crowd broke into a laugh.

"Now folks, I'm not asking for your blood tonight," Dole said. "But I am asking for your time, I'm asking for your money, and I'm asking for your prayers."

Fred Smith won the Wake County GOP straw poll.

At the President's Day Dinner tonight, the Western Wake Republican Club surveyed paid attendees on their preference in the gubernatorial primary.

Smith won 69 votes, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory won 43 votes, former Supreme Court justice Bob Orr won 28 votes and Salisbury attorney Bill Graham won nine votes.

Graham's showing may have been hurt by the fact that he was the only one of the four who was not in attendance, however. 

I. Beverly Lake Jr. received the Jesse Helms Award for Courage.

At the President's Day Dinner tonight, the former chief justice of the state Supreme Court was given the second award by the Wake County Republican Party. (The first went to Helms.)

Presenters noted Lake's decision to become a Republican, his unsuccessful run for governor and his work on the N.C. Actual Innocence Commission as examples of his courage. 

Lake, who was spotted earlier sporting a sticker for gubernatorial candidate and former colleague Bob Orr, said the awards "means more than I can possibly say."

He said that Helms was one of his three "greatest heroes" in politics, along with his father, I. Beverly Lake Sr. and Raleigh consultant Tom Ellis.

"Jesse and Tom and my dad held the banner for us and charted the way through the last half of the 20th century," he said. "Jesse's entire political career defined courage."

Lake also spoke briefly about his time in the state Senate in the late 1970s, fighting social studies textbooks that he said would "teach secular humanism as a religion to our children in the public schools."

"They're trying to make a run again in that direction, but we'll turn it back," he said.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr was the surprise guest at the President's Day Dinner.

The Winston-Salem Republican spoke briefly to the crowd about the importance of the 2008 elections and praised his senior senator and the night's keynote speaker.

Burr said he is "the luckiest man in the world" because he gets to work with Dole.

"If you really want to know what Elizabeth Dole is like, she's a rock star," he said. "When you go around with her, it doesn't matter whether they've known her their entire life or whether they meet her for the first time, they get this glow on their face."

Burr also made a joke about his recent fashion decisions.

"I want you to know, I am wearing socks tonight," he said. "It's not a continual thing." 

A number of notables were in the audience at the Wake County Republican Party's annual President's Day Dinner tonight.

U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole; U.S. House candidates B.J. Lawson and Augustus Cho; state Sens. Richard Stevens and Neal Hunt; Reps. Nelson Dollar and Marilyn Avila; and state House candidates Bryan Gossage, Eric Weaver and Paul Terrell.

Also at the dinner: Gubernatorial candidates Fred Smith, Pat McCrory and Bob Orr; lieutenant governor candidates Greg Dority and Bob Pittenger; and attorney general candidate Bob Crumley.

A few judges and judicial candidates were also at the audience: state Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds, Appeals Court judges Ann Marie Calabria and Donna Stroud, Appeals Court candidates John Tyson and Bob Hunter, Wake County District Court Judge Jennifer Green.

And a few local officials: Wake County commissioners Kenn Gardner and Joe Bryan and Register of Deeds Laura Riddick. Wake GOP chairman David Robinson came back to the podium later to note that he had left omitted "an individual who is most likely armed" — Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison.

Another noted guest was in the audience: Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms' wife, Dot.

The loudest applause of the night went to Helms, Harrison and Avila, the former county chairwoman.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole knows how Hillary Clinton feels.

Before the Wake County Republican Party's annual President's Day Dinner in Raleigh tonight, the Salisbury Republican was asked if she sees any parallels between her failed 2000 bid for the Republican presidential nomination and Clinton's current run.

"I think that in terms of her husband's participation, maybe he'd better draw back a little bit," she told Dome, laughing. "I don't think he's been that helpful to her."

Dole was also asked if she had any advice for Clinton.

"I don't think I'm going to be providing advice to Hillary at this point," she said.

Dole, who is running for re-election to the Senate seat she's held since 2002, said that a Clinton nomination would help the GOP.

"I think that if Hillary Clinton is the nominee it will draw out a lot of Republican voters in the state of North Carolina, no question about it," she said.

Listen to the full interview here.