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A wave of excited young voters helped lift President Barack Obama to a narrow victory in the state four years ago, but flagging support is now putting a repeat win in jeopardy. If Obama does end up losing North Carolina this election, it could be because of voters like Jennifer Bachelor.

An Elon University graduate, Bachelor cast her first vote for president for Obama, but she has agreed with his positions less and less as his term wore on. Her assessment of the president’s performance is so negative that the Raleigh resident watched the vice-presidential debate last week with other staunch backers of the Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan ticket at a GOP-sponsored party. Full story here.

More political headlines:

--Early voting starts today in North Carolina -- meaning everyday through Nov. 3 is election day. Find Triangle area voting sites here.

--Walter Dalton leveled a new ethics charge at GOP rival Pat McCrory in the debate. Read a fact-check here.

From the start, Kal Penn admits the hype from the 2008 campaign has faded. But the actor and former White House staffer said young voters engagement in President Barack is still strong.

"The biggest difference now is there are a long list of accomplishments," said Penn during an interview at Wimoore Cafe in Raleigh. "In '08 it was promises. There are a long list of accomplishments and i think the contrast is very important."

Penn, whose given name is Kalpen Modi, is known for his movies ("Harold and Kumar") and TV appearances ("House" or "24"). But after being a big advocate for Obama in 2008 he went to work in the administration as an outreach liaison to young voters, the arts and Asian American communities. He's now back on the campaign trail, visiting Raleigh to help the Obama campaign open another headquarters Tuesday.

Aziz Ansari, a comedian and actor on NBC's "Park's and Recreation," is visiting Raleigh Thursday to help add energy to the Obama's campaign to win young voters.

The Thursday event is billed as a "happy hour" at The Hive at Busy Bee Cafe downtown. It runs 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free but an RSVP is required.

Ansari is a big Obama fan. He performed a standup routine in March as part of a campaign fundraiser.

While John Edwards was in the last stages of his 2008 presidential campaign focusing on the poor, his pregnant mistress and political aide were exploring the wealthy upper side of Edwards’ “two Americas.”

The first two days of testimony in the criminal trial of the one-time Democratic hopeful have focused on posh hotels and resorts, big houses in exclusive neighborhoods and the super rich who can dole out thousands of dollars on short notice. Read more on the trial's second day.

In other political headlines:

--President Barack Obama is still the favorite among young voters but their enthusiasm doesn't seem to match his 2008 campaign, college students said Tuesday. Obama came to talk student loans and the millionaire former U.S. senator tried to appeal to his humble roots and his own college debt. If you missed him on Jimmy Fallon's show from UNC, watch it here.