Clinton's surrogates in N.C.

Here's a mostly complete list of Hillary Clinton's surrogates in North Carolina:

Former president Bill Clinton; daughter Chelsea Clinton; Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer; U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown, Edolphus Towns, Sheila Jackson Lee and Lucille Roybal-Allard; former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros; former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe; retired Brigadier Gens. Pat Foote and John Douglass; University of Pennsylvania professor Rev. Marcia Dyson; activist Ann Jordan; former Rock the Vote President Jehmu Greene; Global Summit for Women president Irene Natividad; National Organization for Women president Kim Gandy; longtime friend Betsy Ebeling; actresses Erika Alexander and Heather Tom and actor Sean Astin.

Surrogate Smackdown: North Carolina

Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have sent surrogates to North Carolina.

It makes sense. The candidates can only come in person so often, so they send their supporters and colleagues to make the case for them.

In the best-case scenario, the surrogate is popular in his or her own right and draws a big crowd for a made-for-TV rally. At other times, it can as compelling as the opening of a new shopping center.

Here's a scoresheet of a few of the surrogates sent so far:

THE FIRST SPOUSES: Obama sent his wife, Michelle, to a few big cities; Clinton's husband, Bill, is camping out in small towns. Michelle drew 5,700 in Raleigh, almost three times as many as her husband, but Bill is a superstar in Bubbaland. Advantage: Clinton.

FORMER SITCOM STARS: Obama sent Tatyana Ali; Clinton countered with Erika Alexander. Ali is best known as Ashley on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," while Alexander was Pam on "The Cosby Show." Ali had a bigger role, but Alexander was on a better show. No advantage.

NEW JERSEY MAYORS: Obama dispatched Newark Mayor Cory Booker; Clinton is counting on Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer. Booker has a higher profile among New Yorker readers, while Palmer is president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. But this ain't the Garden State. Disadvantage: Both.

HIGH-PROFILE POLS: Obama has brought in Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle; while Clinton's been touted by U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown and Edolphus Towns and former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe. Advantage: Obama.

It's harder to directly compare some of the other surrogates. Chelsea Clinton was a big draw at local colleges, while the Wayans brothers canceled a trip. Clinton also had some prominent women do a tour, while Obama brought in a Virginia Congressman.

Thousands hit polls for early voting

Thousands of North Carolinians went to the polls Thursday.

On the first day of one-stop voting for the May 6 primary, more than 13,000 people cast ballots by 5 p.m. and more are expected today. (N&O)

In Mecklenburg County, turnout was six times what it was in 2004, the last presidential primary. Then, about 50 people showed up; this time, more than 300.

"These are really good numbers," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Elections Director Michael Dickerson, "and everything we do early means that you don't have to worry about it on election day."

North Carolina has not held a presidential primary where the race was still undecided since 1988.

Terry McAuliffe, head of Hillary Clinton's campaign, flew from Oregon to visit one-stop voting sites in Charlotte, Concord and Salisbury. (Char-O

He argued that North Carolina would be in play in the general election. (GN-R

Clinton's man in Raleigh

Richard SullivanRichard Sullivan is Hillary Clinton's man in North Carolina.

According to a 2007 profile by Rob Christensen, the Raleigh public affairs consultant is the Democratic presidential candidate's biggest booster in the state.

Although he has a low profile here, Sullivan — or "Sully" to his friends — is well-known on Wall Street, K Street and Hollywood.

The son of a South Carolina legislator, he first became involved in Dick Gephardt's 1988 presidential campaign, then became a protege of Clinton fundraiser Terry McAuliffe.

He moved to Charlotte in 1997, then to an inside-the-Beltline neighborhood in West Raleigh in 2001.

His wife, Carolina Finklea Sullivan, worked as a fundraiser for state Sen. Marc Basnight and the Democratic Senate caucus.

The full profile after the jump.

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