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Here is the year end North Carolina report card for North Carolina politicians.

Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue and Republican Sen. Richard Burr have shown improvement. Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan is holding steady. And Democratic President Barack Obama has declined.

That is according to survey data from Public Policy Polling, a Raleigh-based firm with Democratic leanings.

The firm looked at how Tar Heel residents viewed those four figures at the end of 2010 compared to how they viewed them at the end of 2009.

Perdue showed the most improvement, with her standing rising 17 points.

A year ago, Perdue had an approval/disapproval rating of 27/53. Now it is 35/44.

As pollster Tom Jensen put it, she has gone from “being incredibly unpopular to just somewhat unpopular.” Despite the 17-point gain, she is still six points behind the average governor elsewhere in the country, Jensen said.

A year ago, Burr's approval rating was 35/37. Today it stands at 36/34.

“Burr's name recognition went up over the course of the year as he advertised on television but two months removed form the election, voters seem to have forgotten about him already – the level of ambivalence toward him is higher than for just about any other senator in the country,” Jensen said.

Hagan has hardly moved. A year ago, she had an approval/disapproval rating of 36/44 rating and today it stands at 36/43.

“Although Perdue is generally thought of as the state's most unpopular politician,” Jensen said, “Hagan actually performs worse compared to the mean of her peers at this point.”

Obama's approval/disapproval rating has dropped in North Carolina during the past  12 months from 48/47 to 46/49.

Jensen said Obama's standing in North Carolina “is essentially identical compared to where he is nationwide.” Jensen that may seem surprising because Obama ran seven points behind in North Carolina than he did in the rest of the country in 2008. But Jensen said Obama's polling numbers are holding up better in states with substantial African-American populations such as North Carolina.
   

Here's the latest on good ol' boy politics.

Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue is unveiling a North Carolina historical marker this morning at the state Fairgrounds to celebrate the former NASCAR dirt track. At her side will be racing legend Junior Johnson, a Democrat.

What remains of the half-mile oval track is now the raceway is in front of the grand stand

On Friday afternoon, Republican Sen. Richard Burr will be attending the Richard Petty Fish Fry in Randleman.

Petty hasn't lost many races during his career. But one that he did lose was in 1996, when he lost to Democratic Senate candidate Elaine Marshall in the race for Secretary of State.

Call Attorney General Roy Cooper the Teflon man.

Despite all the problems with the state's crime lab, Cooper is still the most popular figure among North Carolina political figures, according to an analysis of polling data by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic leaning polling firm based in Raleigh

In rankings of popularity, it is Cooper, Republican Sen. Richard Burr, Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan, Gov. Bev. Perdue, and President Barack Obama.

The polling firm found that 31 percent approve of the job that Cooper is doing and 19 disapprove for a positive spread of 12.

Burr was approved by 47 percent but disapproved of by 38 percent for a spread of 9 points..

Hagan's job approval was 35 percent and disapproval was 50 percent, for a negative spread of 15 points, followed by Perdue with an approval of 35 percent and a disapproval of 51 percent with a spread of minus 16 points. Obama had an approval of 39 percent and a disapproval of 57 percent or a spread of minus 18 points.

The spin: Tom Jensen: “The 50 percent with no opinion of Cooper is a strong reminder that the average voter pays no attention to the Council of State. That's been part of the problem for Elaine Marshall's Senate campaign, as she too has been plagued by low name recognition.”

North Carolina elected officials cheered the confirmation to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals of Judge Jim Wynn.

Wynn was first nominated for the court in 1999. His confirmation comes after months of being held up in the U.S. Senate by procedural moves.

Wynn currently serves on the N.C. Court of Appeals. He was first nominated for higher court under President Bill Clinton, but he was blocked by Sen. Jesse Helms.

"His new seat on the 4th Circuit, however long overdue, is a much-deserved promotion in his distinguished judicial career," said Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, noted that the seat has been open on the court since 1994.

"Tonight, North Carolina won because Jim Wynn, a highly qualified, experienced and fair-minded judge, will be serving on the 4th Circuit," she said. "Eleven years ago today Judge Jim Wynn was first nominated to serve on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Unfortunately, that nomination was blocked by partisan politics."

In his statement, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, noted that under President George W. Bush, Democrats had blocked confirmation of nominees to the 4th Circuit.

"After the treatment some of these nominees were subjected to, it is a wonder that others are still willing to step forward to put themselves through the nominations process," Burr said. "I was happy to support this highly qualified nominee, and to work to finally fill this seat."

Perdue, Burr and Hagan agreed in their support for Judge Al Diaz, a Charlotte judge who has also been nominated for a seat on the 4th Circuit.

HELP WANTED: As Gov. Bev Perdue begins her search for new leadership at the N.C. Highway Patrol, a key decision will be whether to look outside the troubled agency for its new commander. (N&O)

STUDY HALL: The bitter battle over Wake County's move toward neighborhood schools is moving into the hands of state legislators, who could recommend that school districts adopt diversity policies. (N&O)

EARLY LEAD: Republican Sen. Richard Burr starts the fall Senate race with an overwhelming financial advantage over his Democratic challenger, Elaine Marshall, according to campaign reports filed last week. (N&O)

SENATE RACE IS ON: U.S. Senate candidates Elaine Marshall and Richard Burr agree Washington needs fixing. They disagree on who can fix it. (Charlotte Observer)

WE'RE READY: North Carolina has a plan to deal with any oil that washes on its shores. (N&O)

START ME UP: Nearly 20 years after it was created, Global TransPark has a big tennat. Critics wonder how much more money needs to go into the project. (N&O)

EMERGENCY APPEAL: Attorneys for imprisoned lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings want him freed immediately and his conviction thrown out in light of a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down most of the law Geddings was convicted of breaking. (N&O)

CAMPAIGN REPORT: A friend of Gov. Bev Perdue repeatedly tried in vain to make sure her campaign properly handled and documented flights he provided. (N&O)

GUILTY, HE SAID: Ruffin Poole, the former aide to Democratic Gov. Mike Easley, pleaded guilty to a single count of income tax evasion, setting the stage for him to begin cooperating with an investigation into Easley's administration. The so-called "Little Governor" is now the big cooperating witness.

THEIR TURN: Gov. Bev Perdue released her budget proposal for the coming fiscal year and included deep cuts to education to mitigate a deficit that is already more than $700 million. The document is now about as useful as a tire chuck because the legislative Democrats who write the budget say they plan to re-write pretty much the whole thing.

CASH FLOW LOW: The Democrats running for U.S. Senate are finding it a little tough to raise a lot of money. Only Cal Cunningham has enough to go on TV. Elaine Marshall and Ken Lewis have raised some cash, but not enough to fight it out on the evening news commercial breaks. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Richard Burr has more than $5 million, meaning he's a formidable opponent for the candidate who emerges from the Democratic primary.

IN OTHER NEWS: Republican Pat McCrory endorsed two candidates in the same race. Perdue unveiled a plan for reducing the state's prison population. A state association of chiropractors is hoping to bump into President Barack Obama, who is vacationing this weekend at the same Asheville hotel where the chiropractors have scheduled a conference.

RACE TO ETHICS: Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue unveiled a package of proposed ethics reforms and Republicans were quick to claim they were the party of ethics. With both parties running on ethics, might we actually see meaningful reforms this year?

FOR EFFECT: The Senate is losing some of its most effective Democrats, according to the biennial legislative effectiveness survey by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research. Over in the House, Republicans were mostly shut out of the top spots for effectiveness. '

THANK HIM LATER: Democratic U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge says he's not worried about how his vote on the Democratic health care law will affect his chances of keeping his seat in Congress. The bill was not popular in his district, but Etheridge said that he believes voters will change their minds.

IN OTHER NEWS: Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr says he has $5.3 million in his campaign account. Ruffin Poole, an aide to former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley has pleaded not guilty to 57 corruption-related charges. Republicans are keeping up the pressure on Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper to join a multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform law.

IT AIN'T OVER: The Democratic health care reform bill became law and U.S. Sen. Richard Burr joined his GOP colleagues in not only calling for repeal, but also obstructing other business on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile Republicans are urging a state bill or a possible lawsuit to try to undermine the health care law. Anyone who thought the debate on health care is over was wrong.

QUESTION TIME: N.C. Republican Party chairman Tom Fetzer continued his rhetorical assaults against Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue this week, pouncing on her campaign's admission that some contributions looked suspicious. Fetzer also promoted a billboard that urges Perdue to answer a series of accusatory, if not well-researched, questions.

THE ROADS ARE ALWAYS LONGER: More than half of state residents say they believe their part of the state is shortchanged on road money. If everyone gets cheated, who's getting the roads?

IN OTHER NEWS: The former longtime lobbyist for the N.C. Home Builders Association says armed conflict may be necessary if voters don't go Republican in the fall. Perdue announced a deal with IBM to scour the state's Medicaid program for fraud, waste and abuse. The state lottery is reminding ticket sellers that video poker machines are illegal.

STATE CHARGES FRAUD: Medicaid officials say a Raleigh company overcharged the state more than $824,000 for in-home personal care services meant for poor and disabled people who in many cases never received or didn't qualify for the care.

State regulators want to recoup that money, plus fines and penalties that raise the total to $926,000, and have started the process of pulling the license from Royal Healthcare Inc. The state is ramping up its scrutiny of in-home personal care services and the industry has launched a campaign to convince lawmakers that it is badly needed. (N&O)

RACE IS ON: The Democratic Senate candidates had a coming-out party Saturday, offering a statewide gathering of party leaders their best campaign pitches on why they were equipped to take on Republican Sen. Richard Burr in November.

The three major candidates — former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, Chapel Hill lawyer Ken Lewis and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall — struck a similar theme: that the Senate is dysfunctional, that the change voters approved in the 2008 elections is being blocked by Republicans such as Burr, and that health care reform is needed. (N&O)

LOAN IT TO DRYCLEANERS: Gov. Bev Perdue on Friday introduced a program to lean on state banks to tap into Small Business Administration loans, part of an effort to push small-business loans as the best growth market for banks and the key to growing the economy. (N&O)