Secretary of State Elaine Marshall filed paperwork Tuesday to create a campaign committee to run for the U.S. Senate next year.

"We’ll have a more formal announcement in the future," said Thomas Mills, a consultant for Marshall. "We were feeling we just needed to get started in moving forward."

Marshall joins Kenneth Lewis, a Durham lawyer and the only other announced Democratic candidate, in the field to take on U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican. Other Democrats eyeing the race include former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker, former state Sen. Cal Cunningham and U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge.

Marshall, a former state senator, was first elected secretary of state in 1996, when she defeated NASCAR legend Richard Petty. She was the first woman elected to statewide executive office. In 2002, she unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

A bill requested by Richard Petty would help Nascar drivers haul their stuff.

The Nascar legend asked Sen. Jerry Tillman, a Randolph County Republican, to give motorsports drivers an exemption from state laws limiting the length of vehicles on state roads.

The bill would allow drivers to attach a trailer to the back of a motorhome when driving to competitions, repair sites or testing on tracks, as long as the total length did not exceed 90 feet.

It would also allow the state Department of Transportation to declare certain roads off limits to the motorhome-trailer combos.

Tillman said he filed the bill because Petty lives in his district, but also because he wants to help the drivers.

"Nascar is a huge business in our state," he said. "This is one of the business-friendly things that we can do for the motorsports industry."

Related: House bill would honor Jimmie Johnson

The robocalls are coming fast and furious now.

After the jump, a list of recent automated phone calls to North Carolinians based on reader submissions.

As always, send your reports of robocalls to dome@newsobserver.com

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Here's a mostly complete list of John McCain's surrogates in North Carolina for the general election:

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, wife Cindy, son Doug, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, former Sen. Bob Dole, former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, former Arkansas Rep. Asa Hutchinson, Republican National Committee deputy chairman Frank Donatelli; Republican Party chairwoman Linda Daves, former N.C. Republican Party chairman Ferrell Blount, state Sen. Neal Hunt, House Minority Leader Paul Stam, state Reps. Ric Killian, Nelson Dollar and Harold Brubaker, Dr. Jeanne and David Smoot, country music singer Cowboy Troy, Nascar team owners Jack Roush and Joe Gibbs, former Nascar driver Richard Petty and former prisoner of war Col. J. Quincy Collins Jr.

Some interesting names from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's donor list:

* Kirk Kerkorian, of Bevery Hills, billionaire resort developer, gave $4,600 on July 2, 2007.

* H. Ross Perot, of Texas, former presidential candidate and billionaire, gave $4,600 on April 9, 2007.

* Phil Gramm, of Texas, former senator and erstwhile economic advisor to John McCain, gave $2,300 on May 21, 2007.

* Richard Petty, of Randleman, racecar driver and former Secretary of State candidate, gave $1,000 on May 12, 2008.