Candidates for state Democratic Party chair will be interviewed starting tonight.

The Young Democrats of North Carolina will host three statewide conference calls with the candidates to allow state executive board members, young Democrats and others to hear from them.

District Chairman Luke Hyde will be on a call at 8 p.m. Former Buncombe County Commissioner David Young will be on at 8:40 p.m.

And state vice chairwoman Dannie Montgomery will be on at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

For information on the calls, e-mail president@ydnc.org.

The state Democratic Executive Committee will meet in Raleigh Saturday to decide on the replacement for outgoing chairman Jerry Meek.

The Young Democrats of North Carolina are calling on presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to debate in the state.

"It is time North Carolina is given the opportunity to be fully engaged in this Democratic primary," said Zach Hawkins, the group's president.

"The issues facing NC are much too serious and need to be addressed, especially those facing young North Carolinians."

The North Carolina Federation of College Democrats is in agreement, says President Douglas Massengill.

Their call to action comes after a debate was proposed for April 27 at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The Obama campaign has not yet agreed to the date.

Remember that set piece that Chelsea Clinton told last week?

During her visits to the Young Democrats convention, N.C. State and Peace College, the former first daughter told a moving story of a pregnant Ohio woman who died because the hospital would not admit her.

As it turns out, Hillary Clinton has told the same story on the campaign trail. And the hospital in question — O'Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens, Ohio — has told the New York Times it is not accurate.

"We implore the Clinton campaign to immediately desist from repeating this story," hospital CEO Rick Castrop told the paper. He said the woman was not denied care.

The Times' recounting of Hillary's version of the anecdote sounds almost word-for-word the same as Chelsea's.

Earlier: Chelsea woos voters with hospital story. 

Chelsea Clinton said her parents don't agree on everything.

During a question-and-answer session at the Young Democrats convention, a young man in a suit said that his mother lost her job and health insurance after her job was shipped to Mexico.

The man asked how Hillary Clinton would reform free trade agreements without contradicting Bill Clinton's work as president.

Clinton responded by asking him if his family agreed on everything, including trade agreements.

"We don't agree on everything as a family," she said. "I agree with my mother on most things, but not everything."

She then said that her mother was the first Democratic presidential candidate to say she would close tax loopholes that benefit companies outsourcing jobs.

"If a company wants to send a job overseas, that's its prerogative," she said. "But we as American taxpayers should not be subsidizing that."

James Carville argued that a prolonged Democratic primary fight will not hurt the party's chances in November.

Speaking at a luncheon at the Young Democrats convention in Research Triangle Park, the political commentator said that the issues driving voters — the economy, the war in Iraq and health care — will still push them into the Democratic column.

He said that the volunteers and fundraisers on the losing side would support the Democratic nominee whenever the primary is over, although he specifically mentioned the day after the North Carolina primary twice.

"On May 7, we're all going to be united," he said. "Because you know more than anybody the effects that this administration is having on your life, your future, and you want to take that back."

Earlier, Carville called North Carolina and Indiana "ground zero" for the nomination fight, provided that Clinton wins Pennsylvania as expected.

He also argued that voters want a chance to participate.

"What's so awful about having a primary here in North Carolina?" he asked, rhetorically.

Carville has been a supporter of Hillary Clinton's campaign, although he was not officially speaking at the event as her surrogate.

James Carville had four "angels" on hand today.

At a press conference at the Young Democrats convention, the Democratic political commentator at one point asked for coffee, and a twentysomething woman quickly produced a cup.

Her name tag identified her as "Carville's angel."

The woman, Erica Porter, 26, works as an administrative assistant in Raleigh and is a member of the Wake County chapter of the Young Democrats. She said she was one of four "angels" assigned to keep Carville happy during the event.

She was "Pink." She said the other three were "Yellow," "Green" and "Brown."

Kind of like "Reservoir Dogs," we guess.

Jim Neal called out James Carville at the Young Democrats convention.

At a private reception before his luncheon speech, the Democratic political consultant and commentator met with Young Democrats and others who paid $50 a ticket.

The reception was closed to the press, but Neal and others described what happened inside to Dome afterward.

At one point, Carville said that North Carolina has a great Senate candidate in Kay Hagan, noting that he had just spoken with her daughter, Carrie.

Neal, who is running against Hagan for the Democratic nomination, spoke out from the back of the room.

"I said, 'We have primaries here in North Carolina. We don't have coronations,'" Neal said later.

He said Carville did not respond.

"It was the first time I've ever seen him quiet," Neal said.

Rep. Tricia Cotham is the chair of the "Under-40 Caucus."

The Charlotte Democrat, who is the youngest member of the General Assembly, said at a luncheon at the Young Democrats convention today that she heads the mock caucus, which is 10 members strong.

She then introduced state Rep. Ty Harrell, a Raleigh Democrat whom she called one of the group's "superstars." 

"Unfortunately, I have aged out of the under-40 caucus," he joked, noting that he even has a few gray hairs. 

Guess that makes the caucus something like Menudo. 

James Carville's chair almost broke during a press conference.

The Democratic political consultant leaned back at one point and the chair made a loud noise and Carville shifted uncomfortably.

"I need a trial lawyer," he joked, garnering a loud laugh from the assembled journalists in the room. "Where's John Edwards when you need him?"

Beth Wood has her zinger down for the fall election.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for state auditor has some primary competition in Fred Aikens, but at the Young Democrats convention she tried out a line to use against incumbent Republican Les Merritt.

"The citizens of North Carolina don't need to settle for Les," she said.