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Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx issued a full statement on his decision not to seek re-election. Foxx has been reported to be a candidate for U.S. Department of Transportation secretary, but there is no word on when that decision will be made or whether Foxx will be President Obama’s choice for the cabinet post.

“My grandfather often paraphrased the book of Ecclesiastes when he said, ‘There is a season for everything under the sun,’” Foxx said in his statement. “I remember his words as I announce today my decision not to run for reelection.”

Read his full statement here.

In the legislature, the House and Senate convene at 6 p.m. for skeleton sessions. The real action starts Tuesday when budget committees begin to meet in public. A House committee will consider the controversial Medicaid bill Tuesday, as the full Senate considers a measure to curtail unemployment benefits. McCrory has no public events Monday, but he speaks to N.C. Department of Natural Resources employees Monday morning.

***Welcome to the Dome Morning Memo, the source for political news in North Carolina. Much more below. ***

N.C. AS A MODEL FOR THE NATIONAL GOP? For most Republicans, November was grim. But in North Carolina it was a happier story. “North Carolina could be a model for ‘red state’ resurgence,” says Marc Rotterman, a GOP strategist from Raleigh.

North Carolina Republicans will showcase their performance this week to the Republican National Committee, which starts its three-day winter meeting Wednesday at the Westin in uptown. A presentation scheduled for Thursday is called “Success in N.C.: A Blueprint for the Future.” But how much of that blueprint can be replicated is debatable.

***Welcome to the Dome Morning Memo -- the source for N.C. political news and analysis. Click below to read more.***

North Carolina’s early voting period began Thursday morning with solid crowds hitting the polls on the first day. About 350 sites across the state feature early voting until Nov. 3.

Among those who arrived to vote early was a group from Obama for America, which marched from the organization’s Charlotte headquarters on East Ninth Street to vote early. At mid-morning, dozens of people were still waiting in line outside the building.

When the threat of rain forced Democratic National Convention organizers to move President Obama's acceptance speech from Bank of America Stadium to Time Warner Cable Arena last month, 65,000 people lost a chance to see history.

Campaign officials promised to try to arrange an event at which the president would meet with the ticket holders before the election. With less than four weeks left, time is running out. And Thursday, campaign officials wouldn't commit to a presidential visit.

"We don't have any announcements," Obama communications director Brent Colburn said in a conference call with N.C. reporters. 

CHARLOTTE -- Republicans were so certain of carrying the Tar Heel State last time, that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina famously boasted: “I’ll beat Michael Phelps in swimming before Barack Obama wins North Carolina."

As Obama accepts the nomination Thursday night in a state that he improbably carried four years ago, Republicans are once again certain that the state will go red. U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, the state’s ranking Republican, doesn’t even think North Carolina should be considered a presidential battleground. Read Rob Christensen's column about Obama's challenges in North Carolina.

More political headlines below:

--This is a critical week for Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, who lags behind his governor’s race opponent, Republican Pat McCrory, in voter polls and campaign donations.

From the 15th floor mayor’s office it is about five miles from the working class Lincoln Heights neighborhood in West Charlotte where Anthony Foxx grew up.

But his journey seems longer and more improbable. Tonight it will take him to the podium of the Time Warner Cable Arena Tuesday to welcome the Democrats to Charlotte for the Democratic National Convention – the first national party convention hosted by the state. Read Rob Christensen's full column here and a profile here.

More political headlines from the N&O and Charlotte Observer:

--DNC wrap: The fight for women voters. Party's platform will highlight controversial issues in North Carolina. Occupy protests Monday night cause disruptions. More planned today. Jon Stewart's backyard cook out. Rain drenches DNC street festival. Police were everywhere. Columnist: Welcome to Smurf City. Youth Council builds enthusiasm for Obama. The day for delegates. The alternate speakers platform may not get many visits.

After more than three years with an unemployment rate higher than the national rate, North Carolina’s middle class is starting to show the wear and tear. Median household income in the state fell over the decade by nearly 10 percent. And the size of the middle class shrank.

These are the people that Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama are trying to reach. But a Pew survey and interviews in the Triangle suggest neither presidential candidate has convinced a majority of middle-class voters they offer a clear path to recovery. Read the full story here. 

More political headlines: 

--The first protest target at the Democratic National Convention won’t be President Barack Obama, health care reform, or the party’s stances on gay marriage or abortion. It will be Bank of America.

--Rob Christensen: As Democrats pour into Charlotte this weekend for the Democratic National Convention, they are certainly anticipating a big show. But it won’t be the longest Democratic convention held in the Queen City, or the most contentious, and perhaps not even the most entertaining. That title belongs to the state Democratic convention held in June of 1908.

State Treasurer Janet Cowell is coming under fire from state employees and retirees who are raising questions about the pension fund’s management after it invested in Facebook – which saw its value tank after its stock market debut. Cowell, a Democrat, did not respond to questions about the Facebook deal, but a spokeswoman downplayed the loss and defended the investment firm.

The law firm chosen to represent the state in its lawsuit against Facebook is also generating questions. Bernstein Litowitz Berger and Grossmann gave Cowell’s campaign more than $75,000 since her 2008 election to the post, according to state records. Read more here.

Political headlines:

--Could Tropical Storm Isaac soak the Democratic convention, too?

--American Atheists and Adams Outdoor Advertising are removing two Charlotte billboards slamming Christianity and Mormonism after the national atheists’ group said it received an outpouring of public anger and threats.

--Gary Pearce and Carter Wrenn, well known Tar Heel political strategists, map out the Obama path to victory for NPR.

Tickets for President Barack Obama's acceptance speech in Charlotte are available to the general public starting Saturday, the campaign announced.

Starting at 10 a.m., those who signed up and all others can visit one of 12 Obama for America campaign offices to pick them up, on a first-come, first-served basis and one ticket per person. (See list below.)

Obama campaign volunteers won't have to wait in line -- their credentials are available today and Friday. North Carolina is the first state to distribute tickets to the general public for the Sept. 6 speech at Bank of America stadium during the Democratic National Convention.