"Does North Carolina have a law where Congressmen are required to live in the districts they represent?" — Dome reader mdougyr

No. No state does.

The U.S. Constitution is the sole arbiter of qualifications for U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and president, said Don Wright, general counsel for the State Board of Elections. That means no state laws can further limit who can run.

Article I, Section 2 lays out the qualifications:

No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.

As Wright notes, that does not say anything about districts.

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones of Farmville was elected in 1994 while living outside the Third District, although the boundary was later redrawn to include his home.

Vernon Robinson of Winston-Salem and Rory Blake of Charlotte both ran unsuccessfully outside their districts in 2006. As with other candidates, they were criticized for not living in the district, but they were not barred from running.

The same is not true for state lawmakers, however.

Under Article II, Sections 6 and 7, state senators and representatives must reside in their districts for at least one year before being elected. 

Got a question? E-mail dome@newsobserver.com or post it in the comments below. 

Filing ends at noon on Friday.

In years past, some candidates waited until the last minute to turn their paperwork into the State Board of Elections in order to gain the element of surprise on their opponents.

Executive Director Gary Bartlett says that former Congressional candidate Vernon Robinson was famous for last-minute filing, but his favorite story involves four District Court judges from Cumberland County who all showed up in person on the last day of filing.

Each of the four was determined to file for a Superior Court post if any of the others did, Bartlett recalls. But none of them would make the first move. As the minutes ticked towards noon, they sat in the lobby in a standoff until finally one stood up.

With blogs and e-mail keeping political activists in touch, Bartlett said it's increasingly hard to keep a lid on a candidacy until filing day.

"Now that we're in the open information age, the surprise element has pretty much gone out the window," he said. 

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller may square off against an old nemesis next fall.

Former state Sen. Hugh Webster told the N.C. Republican Roundtable that he intends to file to run against the Raleigh Democrat.

Senator Hugh Webster will announce his candidacy for Congress, challenging Brad Miller to represent District 13 at North Carolina Republican Party Headquarters in Raleigh, Tuesday, February 26, "at high noon," Webster said.

Miller and Webster taunted one another constantly while they served in the state Senate. Webster's beef: Miller was a smarty pants. Miller's gripe: Webster asked ridiculous questions.

The announcement could mean a lot of grief for Miller. Of course, after running against Vernon Robinson, he should have pretty thick skin.

John Ross Hendrix, a graphic artist from Cary and a Democrat, said he plans to run against Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole next year.

Hendrix, 58, was a Republican when he sought the nomination for the 13th Congressional district last year. He lost the GOP nomination, finishing third with 12 percent. Vernon Robinson won the nomination and then was defeated by Democrat Brad Miller, Rob Christensen reports.

After the primary, he left the Republican Party and became a Democrat.

Hendrix said he would run on such issues as protecting the Bill of Rights, private property rights, passing a so-called FairTax, and securing America's borders.

The FairTax proposal would replace all federal income and payroll based taxes with a national retail sales tax.

A veteran of the 82nd Airborne whose son has had two tours of duty in Iraq, Hendrix said he didn’t oppose the war in Iraq but thinks it has "been done stupidly and needs a lot of changes."

Jim Neal, a Chapel Hill investment banker, is the only announced Democrat for the seat. But Democrats are courting state Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro and Raleigh attorney David Kirby.

Correction: An earlier version of the post misstated the district. 

Carter Wrenn says U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole is no Vernon Robinson.

In a post on the Talking About Politics blog, the Republican political consultant said that U.S. Rep. Brad Miller surely did not enjoy discussing his wife's medical history during last year's re-election campaign after Robinson, his Republican opponent, "tactlessly" wondered why he doesn't have children.

But he argues that's not a reason for Miller to decide not to run for Senate. Wrenn points out that Dole does not have children herself and would never "in a thousand years" attack him on that point.

Congressman Miller’s explanation is ridiculous. Why couldn't he just say, Look, fellows, I've looked at running for Senate. And I'd probably lose. So, I’m going to stick with a sure thing and stay in the House.

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller said he could have been a contender.

In an interview, the Raleigh Democrat said he was excited about the possibility of taking on Sen. Elizabeth Dole, but he was afraid of what the campaign would be like, Barb Barrett reports.

"I would turn my life upside down and my family’s life upside down and my friends' lives upside down," he said.

Part of the blame could go to Vernon Robinson. Miller didn't mention it, but he faced a particularly nasty challenge from the former Winston-Salem city councilman in 2006.

In addition, Miller said he felt like he was starting to get some traction on pet issues in the House. He intends to introduce bills on predatory lending and bankruptcy in the coming weeks.

"I have plenty to say grace over," he said.