Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham is sounding more and more like a U.S. Senate candidate.

The Lexington attorney recently sent out a letter to potential backers letting them know that he is continuing to look closely at seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat held by Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year, Rob Christensen reports.

"It is my goal to see if we can put together an issue-based, professional, independent and progressive campaign that would make you proud," Cunningham wrote in the letter.

"Before I ask you for your support," Cunningham wrote, "I need to make sure I can look you in the eye, show you a path for victory and tell you where I stand on the issues that really matter in the lives of our citizens."

Cunningham, who recently returned from Iraq as an Army lawyer, has been moving around the state exploring a possible Senate bid.

Also looking at the race is Kenneth Lewis, an Obama fund raiser from Durham. Other names being mentioned include N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, U.S. Reps. Mike McIntyre and Bob Etheridge and former state Treasurer Richard Moore.

Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, a potential Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, has received a top U.S. Army award.

Cunningham was one of 28 officers to receive the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award from Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey.

Only two other attorneys have been selected for the award. Cunningham served in Iraq as the senior counsel in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate from December 2007 until November 2008. He oversaw 27 attorneys.

A captain and paratrooper in the Army Reserves, Cunningham received a 15 pound bronze bust of McArthur at a ceremony last month in Washington.

Cunningham, 35, an attorney with Kilpatrick Stockton in Winston-Salem, has been moving around the state, trying to measure interest in his running against Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year.

Other Democrats either considering the race or being courted include Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre of Lumberton, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and former state Treasurer Richard Moore.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall's name has not been on any Democratic U.S. Senate lists, but maybe she should be.

Marshall said running against Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year is something she might consider, although she is not actively testing the waters  now.

"It's on my radar screen," Marshall said. "I have not excluded myself from that. Right now we have a world of hurt down at the General Assembly."

Marshall, a 63-year old Lillington attorney and former state senator, became the first woman, to win a state-wide executive office in 1996, when she defeated NASCAR legend Richard Petty. She has been easily re-elected since then.

But her one effort to move up fell far short, when she finished third in the 2002 Senate primary behind Erskine Bowles, now the University of North Carolina president, and former House Speaker Dan Blue, now a state senator.

Bowles won 43 percent, Blue 29 percent and Marshall 15 percent.

More after the jump.

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U.S. Sen. Richard Burr leads seven potential contenders.

In a survey by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, the Winston-Salem Republican had an advantage over seven Democrats when given only name, party and sometimes title.

In order from Burr's biggest to smallest leads:

Burr (48) Walter Dalton (29) Undecided (22)
Burr (44) Heath Shuler (28) Undecided (28)
Burr (47) Bob Etheridge (31) Undecided (22)
Burr (47) Richard Moore (34) Undecided (19)
Burr (44) Dan Blue (33) Undecided (23)
Burr (46) Elizabeth Edwards (35) Undecided (19)

The firm also tested former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, giving a two-sentence glowing description about his time in Iraq and as a former state senator:

Burr (42) Cunningham (34) Undecided (24)

"Although it's taking Democrats a while to get a candidate, Burr's standing is still tenuous, and getting someone with a lot of name recognition isn't necessarily that important to winning next year," said pollster Dean Debnam.

The firm did not test Durham attorney Kenneth Lewis, who has said he may run.

The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2010 is wide open.

At this point, any of the major Democratic officials in the state could announce a campaign and quickly move to front-runner status. Or one of the lesser-known candidates could jump in and begin making waves.

Still, a few things are becoming evident:

DSCC THINKING BIG: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is looking for a brand name. Despite its success in 2008 with a state senator with low name recognition, the Washington crowd is looking for a Congressman or current or former statewide official.

WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT: U.S. Reps. Bob Etheridge and Brad Miller, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and state Rep. Grier Martin seem increasingly unlikely. Washington types like Rep. Heath Shuler, who's not ruling it out, while Rep. Mike McIntyre is interested.

STILL UNKNOWN: A few other potential candidates have not been heard from: Raleigh mayor Charles Meeker, former state Treasurer Richard Moore, state legislator Dan Blue, and the rest of this extensive list. (Update: Meeker's out, Blue's answer is ambiguous.)

PRIMARY COMPETITION: Durham attorney Kenneth Lewis seems increasingly likely to run in the primary. Former state senator Cal Cunningham may also make a run for it. Either candidate would lead to a more interesting primary than Democrats faced in 2008.

By picking a female candidate with pro-business credentials and strong North Carolina ties, Democrats neutralized some of Sen. Elizabeth Dole's advantages and set up a contrast between the native and the so-called carpetbagger.

It's not yet clear what their strategy would be against Burr. But here are a few qualities to consider: Son of a Presbyterian minister, college football player, Triad native, and conservative with a record on veterans' issues.

Who does the DSCC prefer for the 2010 Senate campaign?

CNN's Political Ticker, citing an anonymous source at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, lists four names:

Their top candidates are, in no particular order: Rep. Heath Shuler, the former NFL quarterback and second term congressman from western North Carolina's 11th district; Rep. Bob Etheridge from the Raleigh-area second district; former state Treasurer Richard Moore, who lost in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary last year; and Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.

It notes that former state Sen. Cal Cunningham is also eyeing the seat, but does not include him on the list of DSCC's potential recruits. 

Who else might run for U.S. Senate?

With Attorney General Roy Cooper dropping out of a long-expected run against Republican Sen. Richard Burr, only Durham lawyer Kenneth Lewis is left on the Democratic sid, and even he hasn't committed.

Here's a running list of other contenders:

* Richard Moore: Former state treasurer, failed Democratic gubernatorial candidate. Why he might run: Ambitious, rich pol who won statewide office twice. Why not: May have damaged brand with 2008 campaign.

* Brad Miller: Congressman, former state legislator. Why he might run: He was very publicly courted to run in 2008. Why not: He's just hitting his stride in the House; he may have personal issues.

* Cal Cunningham: Former state senator, U.S. Army reservist. Why he might run: He's reportedly interested in the race. Why not: He has low statewide name recognition and no current post to run from.

* Heath Shuler: Congressman, former NFL player. Why he might run: He spent 118 days publicly thinking it over earlier this year. Why not: He may be too conservative for a Democratic primary.

* Charles Meeker: Raleigh mayor who has been mentioned before. Why he might run: Served four terms as popular mayor of one of state's largest cities. Why not: That didn't help Pat McCrory win the governor's mansion.

* Grier Martin: Young turk in state legislature who turned down 2008 recruiting effort. Why he might run: Probably still kicking himself. Why not: Will need tons and tons of money for a guy with no statewide name recognition.

* Bob Etheridge: Congressman, former state schools superintendent. Why he might run: He's won statewide before and is known as an affable campaigner. Why not: He's just landed a spot on the powerful Ways and Means committee.

* Mel Watt: Congressman, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Why he might run: He managed Harvey Gantt's first campaign for Senate. Why not: He's got a can't-lose position in the House.

* Mike McIntyre: Congressman, member of the Blue Dog Coalition. Why he might run: He could match Burr on conservative issues in the general election. Why not: Those same stances would hurt him in a primary.

* Dan Blue: Former House speaker who recently moved over to the state Senate. Why he might run: He ran for Senate nomination in 2002. Why not: His politics may be too liberal for a statewide race; he'd have to give up his seat again.

* Elaine Marshall: Secretary of state now in her fifth term. Why she might run: She ran for the Democratic nomination in 2002. Why not: The longest-serving current member of the Council of State is in a comfortable job now.

* Janet Cowell: State treasurer, former state senator, former Raleigh councilwoman. Why she might run: She's a savvy pol who's climbed the ladder quickly already. Why not: After only a few months in statewide office, it might be too soon.

* Erskine Bowles: University of North Carolina system president, former Clinton chief of staff. Why he might run: He ran in 2002 and 2004. Why not: He lost both times; he's praised Burr; he's already thinking of retiring.

* Elizabeth Edwards: Health care advocate, wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards. Why she might run: She's vastly more popular among voters than her husband. Why not: That's not saying much.

D.M. "Mac" Campbell Jr. of Elizabethtown has resigned from the state Board of Transportation.

In a letter to Perdue, Campbell cited "the increased demands of my business as well as my desire to spend more time with my children and grandchildren," Bruce Siceloff reports.

Campbell, appointed by former Gov. Mike Easley, served on the board for eight years. He and family members contributed more than $26,000 to Perdue's Democratic primary opponent, Richard Moore, and they later gave money to Perdue's campaign. He represented Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett and Robeson counties.

His resignation comes a month after Durham lawyer Kenneth Spaulding said he would step down so he could give more time to his business interests. Doug Galyon of Greensboro, the board's longtime chairman, has said he is ready to leave the board as soon as Perdue finds a successor.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Beverly Perdue said she didn't know when the governor would name new board members.

* Services for state Sen. Vern Malone, who died this weekend, will be held at noon Thursday at Martin Street Baptist in Raleigh. 

* After a trip to Cuba, U.S. Rep. Mel Watt says he was surprised to find that Raul Castro was "just as outgoing and loquacious" as his brother, Fidel.

* More than any other state, North Carolina is seeing a spike in the number of people without health insurance, up to 25 percent.

* Former state treasurer Richard Moore closed out his gubernatorial campaign account, forgiving himself $1 million in loans. 

State Treasurer Janet Cowell, who manages the state's $60 billion pension fund, announced Thursday several steps to provide greater transparency to how her office makes investment decisions. The measures include:

-- Creating a one-year cooling off period for employees who leave the treasurer's office, during which they cannot lobby or market services to the office.

-- Starting a request-for-proposal process for law firms that want to handle legal work for the Treasurer's office.

-- Adding more members with investment experience to the Investment Advisory Committee.

-- Posting quarterly reports on the department's Web site showing where money is invested and how it's performing.

-- Hiring an independent consultant to evaluate the ethics, oversight and decision-making of the investment practices.

Former State Treasurer Richard Moore ended up in a dispute with Attorney General Roy Cooper last year because Moore hired private law firms to represent the state in legal action instead of letting Cooper's office handle the work. One of the firms' partners was a major supporter and contributor to Moore's campaign for governor. Cooper's office said they encouraged Moore to set up a competitive process for hiring outside counsel.

"One of the many casualties of the current economic crisis is the erosion of public trust in government and financial institutions," Cowell said, adding that one route to repairing that loss is to let the public see where money is invested and how investment decisions are made.