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TOTAL ARRESTS NEAR 500: Eighty-four demonstrators were arrested by the N.C. General Assembly police on Monday, bringing the total since April 29 to more than 480. Holly Jordan, 29, a teacher at Hillside High School in Durham, said she decided to get arrested on Monday because she was thoroughly upset with the education policies and budgets proposed. She knew that some of the Republicans had described their naysayers as “aging hippies” and “outsiders” who considered it “en vogue” to get arrested.

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: The Senate will take a final vote on its tax plan, and send it to the House. The two chambers remain far apart on how to cut taxes. The House will consider Gov. Pat McCrory's transportation funding bill. In committees, House lawmakers will consider a bill to raise the speed limit to 75 mph on certain roads and a bill requiring cursive -- which is likely to be remade entirely at the last minute, given a similar bill passed earlier this session. Senate lawmakers will meet in committees to consider a bill requiring background checks on those who receive some public assistance and another measure to roll back energy efficiency regulations on building to 2009 levels.

Gov. Pat McCrory will visit another rotary club, this time in Winston-Salem, before meeting with unidentified business leaders in a private meeting at Womble Carlyle, a law firm that also has a lobbying practice.

***Below in the Dome Morning Memo -- U.S. Senate race news, remember Jim Holshouser and a legislative roundup.***

As North Carolina slowly wakes up from the Great Recession, unemployment is stubbornly high at 9.6 percent, income levels are down and the poverty rate has spiked since 2000. Some are asking the inevitable question: Have we slipped?

The debate is under way in every corner of the state as election season builds to a conclusion. It is central in the campaign for governor. Read the full story and see how N.C. ranks.

More political headlines:

--Not all polls are created equal. Jim Morrill breaks the numbers down.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr holds a 20-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Elaine Marshall, according to a new poll by the conservative leaning Civitas Institute.

The survey found that if the election were held today, Burr would get 49 percent of the vote, Marshall would receive 29 percent, with 17 percent undecided. Libertarian candidate Michael Beitler would have the backing of 3 percent.

Burr's commanding lead was the result of a 2-1 lead among unaffiliated voters, and overwhelming support among Republicans. Marshall has yet to consolidate her support among Democrats, winning just 51 percent.

“Marshall has been virtually non-existent in the media throughout the course of this election cycle,” said Chris Hayes, an analyst with the Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based think tank. “Burr's dominance of the television airwaves has allowed him to expand his lead.”

The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted Sept. 15-17 by National Research Inc. of Holmdel, New Jersey. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

UPDATE: The Marshall campaign downplayed the poll. "After spending $2 million of his special interest money on TV ads, this right-wing group says that Senator Burr has managed to push his hard support to only 38 percent," said Sam Swartz, Marshall's campaign spokesman.

"The reason for that is clear: In an Elon Poll released today, 49 percent of North Carolinians say 'it is time to give a new person a chance,' while only 29 percent think Senator Burr should be reelected," Swartz said.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr holds a 39-percent to 32-percent lead over his Democratic challenger Elaine Marshall among unaffiliated voters, a key swing group, according to a new survey.

The poll released by the conservative Civitas Institute also found that 7 percent of the independent voters would vote for Libertarian candidate Michael Beitler and 21 percent were undecided, reports Rob Christensen.

Among the unaffiliated voters, Burr had a favorability rating of 37 percent and unfavorable rating of 31 percent, with 31 percent either having no opinion or never heard of him.

For Marshall, the Secretary of State, 23 percent of the unaffiliated voters had a favorable opinion, 17 percent had an unfavorable opinion, with 60 percent having no opinion or never having heard of her.

The poll of 400 unaffiliated voters was conducted August 16-18 by National Research Inc. of Holmdel, New Jersey and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
   

A new poll shows Republican Sen. Richard Burr leading his Democratic challenger Elaine Marshall 44-37 percent.

The survey conducted for the Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based conservative advocacy group, found that three percent were for Libertarian Mike Beitler and and 15 percent were uncertain, Rob Christensen reports.

Burr had a 44-31 advantage among unaffiliated voters.

“With Marshall having very little cross-over-appeal to Republicans, her standing with the unaffiliated voter will play a key role come Election Day,” said Chris Hayes, an analyst with the Civitas Institute.

The Marshall campaign was not bothered by the results, which could be a dead heat, when you account for the margin of error.

"Even a right-leaning poll shows Marshall in striking distance, and that Senator Burr's a dead man walking,” said Sam Swartz, Marshall's spokesman. “This poll shows what every poll has shown for the last year: That after 16 years in Washington, Senator Burr's in trouble and the voters want to send him home.”

Thirty four percent of voters viewed Burr favorably, while 29 percent viewed him unfavorably, and 29 percent had no opinion, according to the poll. Twenty-four percent viewed Marshall favorably while 14 percent viewed her unfavorably with 31 percent having no opinion.

The survey of 600 likely voters was conducted July 19-21 by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Virginia and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

UPDATE: Samantha Smith, a spokeswoman for Burr, said the poll reflects national trends.

"Republicans are united and unaffiliated voters have shifted their support in light of the big government agenda being advanced by the Democratic leadership in Washington," she said.

You could call North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan the Bobbsey Twins of Tar Heel politics.

They have nearly identical standing in the polls – and in this case that is not a good thing, reports Rob Christensen.

Burr is viewed favorably by 33 percent of North Carolina voters, unfavorably by 26 percent, with 29 percent having no opinion, according to a new poll conducted for the Civitas Institute.

That is very similar to Hagan, who is viewed favorably by 32 percent of of the voters, unfavorably by 27 percent, with 28 percent having no opinion, according to the Civitas poll.

Of course, the numbers are more worrisome to Burr, the Republican, who faces re-election in November, than to Hagan, the Democrat, who has until 2014 to improve her numbers.

“Voters are finding little difference between North Carolina two senators,” said Chris Hayes, senior legislative analyst for the Civitas Institute. “Right now, all voters see are incumbent senators with few distinctions, and that is not a very popular position to be in.”

The survey of 600 likely voters was conducted June 15-18 by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Va. and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

A third of North Carolina voters have a favorable view of U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, while more than half had no opinion, according to a poll conducted for the Civitas Institute.

The survey asked 600 likely general election voters for an opinion on Burr and 30 percent said they viewed him favorably, 18 percent viewed him unfavorably and 53 percent had no opinion.

The approval is down slightly from Civitas' January poll, which found 33 percent of likely voters approved of Burr, a Republican from Winston-Salem. In January 20 percent saw him unfavorably and 47 percent did not give an opinion. You can track Burr's polling numbers at our Polling Central feature. 

The poll was conducted Feb. 15-18 by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Va. It had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

North Carolina's Democratic Senate primary is wide open with most voters undecided, according to a new poll.

According to a head-to-head matchup, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall has the most support with 14 percent, followed by Chapel Hill lawyer Ken Lewis with 7 percent and former state Sen. Cal Cunningham with 4 percent, according to a survey conducted for The Civitas Institute, Rob Christensen reports. But 75 percent were undecided.

"With only a little over three months until the primary, no candidate has stepped forward to claim the front-runner mantle," said Francis de Luca, the institute's executive director.

Only Marshall has run state-wide. None of the candidates have begun any TV or radio advertising for their May 4th primary election. The winner will challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

Lewis' support comes primarily from younger, African-American voters in the Triad and the Northeast. Cunningham is strongest with younger voters.

The survey of 390 likely Democratic and unaffiliated voters was conducted Jan. 19-21 by Tel Opinion Research of Arlington, Virginia. The margin of error was 5 percentage points.

Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr leads potential Democratic challenger Elaine Marshall by eight percentage points, according to a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute.

Civitas' poll of 600 likely North Carolina voters was conducted Dec. 1-3, before former state Sen. Cal Cunningham entered the race. Civitas didn't ask about Chapel Hill lawyer Kenneth Lewis, another Democrat seeking the nomination to challenge Burr.

According to the poll, if the election for U.S. Senate were held today, 40 percent of the voters would select Burr, 32 percent would chose Marshall while 28 percent were undecided.

The Democratic candidates would probably be most interested to see that when voters were asked generically if they would vote for the Democratic or Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, 40 percent would pick the Democrat while 39 percent would vote Republican.

The poll had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, is ahead of Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, one of his potential Democratic opponents, by ten points, according to a poll by the conservative Civitas Institute.

Among those surveyed, 43.7 percent backed Burr, while 33 percent picked Marshall.

The poll, released Friday, surveyed 600 voters by live interviews on October 20 and 21 and has a margin of error of 4 percent.

Marshall and Durham lawyer Kenneth Lewis have declared their candidacy for the Democratic nomination to challenge Burr next year. Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham is considering a run.