Mary Fant Donnan is counting on the Triangle.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for labor commissioner said that Wake, Durham and Orange counties will be key in her upcoming runoff with former commissioner John C. Brooks.

Because there are no other statewide runoffs next Tuesday, Donnan said that turnout will be pretty low except in areas where a local runoff is also on the ballot.

In Durham County, a countywide school board runoff, and in Orange County, a county commissioner district-wide runoff will draw voters to the poll. And Donnan said past results show Wake County typically does well in runoff turnout because of a general interest in state government.

"There's a fair amount to do in the Triangle because all three counties have something that will bring voters out already," she told Dome.

She said that legislative runoffs in Wayne, Greene and Pitt counties could also draw voters.

Fred Smith proposes a "free-market" solution to health care.

At a campaign stop in October, the Republican gubernatorial candidate argued that "universal health care by the government" is not the answer, according to the Goldsboro News-Argus.

Democratic candidate Richard Moore has called for increasing coverage for uninsured poor children, while Beverly Perdue has called for coverage for uninsured poor children and a phase-in of coverage of their parents.

"But I do think we need to be diligent about providing accessible and affordable health care," Smith said. "The government can make the program, but it's up to the businesses to take it."

Smith also argued that medical liability laws needed to be reformed and medical information technology needed improvement so that consumers can take a more active role in their own health care choices.

"We need to have the free market to solve this," Smith said. "When the American consumer can shop and have all the facts, quality goes up and costs go down."

Previously: Smith's four-part health care plan.

North Carolina spent $1.5 million defending its military bases.

Starting in 2003, the legislature began appropriating money to lobby the federal Base Realignment and Closure commission that was looking at closing and streamlining military bases.

In the 2003-04 budget, the legislature set aside $2 million. It set aside the same amount in the 2004-05 budget, and another $1 million in 2005-06. All of the money came from the state's emergency and contingency fund and was approved by the Council of State.

In the end, however, only $1,535,800 was spent from 2003 to 2006.

Much of the money went to outside sources: $200,000 for the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice for lobbying, $120,000 to International Capital Partners to develop a strategy and $170,000 to hire Leigh Harvey McNairy as a consultant.

In addition, $150,000 each to Craven, Onslow and Wayne counties for local efforts.