U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's latest ad was an Internet sensation.

The ad, which criticizes Democratic rival Kay Hagan for a fundraiser hosted by an atheist, was added early Wednesday morning to Under the Dome's YouTube channel. Another copy was on Dole's own YouTube channel.

By the end of the day, the ad had been viewed 145,000 times on the Dome channel, making it the 21st most viewed channel and one of the day's top videos. It was seen another 20,000 times on Dole's channel, for a total of 165,000 times.

By contrast, the "Rocking Chairs" ad from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been seen a total of about 102,496 times on five different channels on YouTube.

The N.C. Republican Party's "Extreme" ad linking Barack Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, to Democratic gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore, has been seen about 448,811 times on five channels.

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

Dan Besse used YouTube to talk about his record in depth.

The failed Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor had a long history of working behind the scenes on progressive causes, but it was not easy to translate that into a 30-second TV ad.

So Besse used slightly longer YouTube videos to get the word out.

In "Dan Besse: for a safer, cleaner, more livable NC," a partly animated two-minute video, the narrator explains his work as an environmental lawyer to stop four nuclear power plants proposed for Wake County in the 1980s.

Filmed by Winston-Salem activist Frank Eaton, the video cleverly explains how Besse worked on a bill that put the financial responsibility for construction costs back on power companies — a message that would have to be diluted in a typical 30-second ad.

Since it was posted on Feb. 17, the video got 9,976 views. Besse's next-most-watched video, which shows Besse running while his achievements flash on the screen, used techniques more typical of a TV ad and was far less effective, getting only 1,016 views since being posted on Dec. 18.

The nuclear video still didn't get as many hits as Besse needed to turn around the race, but it is a model for how lesser-funded candidates can use YouTube.

A YouTube video for Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Dan Besse got a moderate number of views, but it was not enough to help his campaign.

Richard Moore's YouTube attacks didn't work.

The Democratic gubernatorial candidate put several videos on the popular video-sharing site attacking his rival Beverly Perdue, but none of them got the viral attention his campaign needed.

The most-watched video, "Rush Hour in New Bern," backfired, costing Moore $50,000 of his own money when The Eagles objected to its use of a copyrighted song.

After it was reposted without the song, that video got 2,065 views by Election Day.

Another video, "Bev Perdue Explains Gutting the State Abortion Fund," got 909 views, while "Bev Perdue & Highway Trust Fund transfers" got 531 views.

Perdue also posted YouTube videos attacking Moore, but she later pulled them as part of her pledge to campaign positively.

Still, the videos cost next-to-nothing to make, so Dome predicts they will soon become a staple of North Carolina campaigns.

Unity Watch: The videos are still up on YouTube, and Moore did not attend Perdue's event with Gov. Mike Easley. Republican gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory's competitors, however, swiftly smoothed over their differences.

A YouTube video by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore attacked Beverly Perdue over a bridge project in New Bern, but the ad backfired when The Eagles objected to the use of a song.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton made two of the same points.

In speeches to the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, both Democratic presidential candidates said they were appalled at the conditions at Fort Bragg.

A 10-minute YouTube video put together by the father of an 82nd Airborne paratrooper showed mold, peeling paint and broken plumbing at the barracks near Fayetteville.

Both candidates said that the conditions were not acceptable for returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

In their speeches, both candidates also said that they would work for each other, even using oddly similar language.

Clinton said she would "work my heart out" if Obama is the nominee, while Obama said he would support Clinton "in a heartbeat."

If it was attention that state Republican officials were seeking, they certainly got it.

The new ad by the N.C. Republican Party linking Democratic gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has yet to air.

But it's already been condemned by countless people, including officials at the Republican National Committee and Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee for president.

The ad, entitled "Extreme," has also become a YouTube favorite. As of this morning, it has been viewed 76,991 times. That puts it behind a video of David Cook's performance on "American Idol," but ahead of a video of a soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea.

It's not doing so well, though, in YouTube's rating system - averaging only 2.5 out of five possible stars in ratings by viewers. Cook and Liverpool vs. Chelsea have both scored 4.5 stars.

The N.C. GOP also hoped the ad would help them raise money. No word on how that's going.

Paul O'Connor says U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry has had his "macaca moment."

The Winston-Salem Journal columnist writes that McHenry's recent speech denigrating a security guard in Baghdad's Green Zone as a "two-bit security guard" is reminiscent of George Allen's disparaging remark about an Indian-American.

McHenry's denigration of the security guard appeared in the same kind of venue — a Republican Lincoln County dinner. Apparently, he felt comfortable among friends, as Allen did, in making his arrogant and caustic remark. The problem with this kind of event, however, is that people who aren’t friends often attend and videotape them. McHenry's opponent, Lance Sigmon, had someone there who video-recorded the speech. It went up on youtube.com.

O'Connor says the speech, and McHenry's posting of his own video showing where the attack happened, play into his Republican Congressional opponent's efforts to "draw a distinction between his military service and McHenry's lack of it."

As of today, the video has been viewed 17,810 times.

Voters who like negative ads can still get their fill on YouTube.

While Beverly Perdue has stopped airing her ads attacking Richard Moore and removed them from her YouTube channel, they are still available on Under the Dome's channel.

You can see an ad attacking Moore's ties to a private insurance firm here, an ad attacking him for having Wall Street donors here, an ad about his handling of the state pension fund here, and a response ad to his tuition increase ad here.

A YouTube-only ad attacking Moore's ties to New York City is not available, however.

Perdue told N&O reporter Ben Niolet two weeks ago that she was considering pulling negative ads off the air. At a press conference this morning, she said she was influenced by a recent campaign stop.

During a three-hour break, she said she and her husband, Bob, saw a number of negative ads on the TV in their Asheville hotel room.

Afterward, she met with a local elected official who also complained about the negativity, she said.