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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is making his second visit to Charlotte in less than a month as he ramps up operations in what's expected to be a battleground state this fall. Get a preview of his visit here.

More political headlines:

--The government rested its case against John Edwards on Thursday by showing a videotape of the one-time Democratic presidential hopeful telling a now infamous lie – that he was not the father of Rielle Hunter’s child. Get a recap from Day 14 here.

--Surprise. Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue and Republican legislators agree on something. House Republicans said last week they want to cap the state gas tax. Gov. Bev Perdue said Thursday she wants to do the same. The tax rate is expected to fall July 1 from 38.9 cents to about 37.7 cents, because part of the tax is tied to wholesale fuel prices and fluctuates as they do. More on the governor's budget proposal here.

The federal courtroom where John Edwards is on trial is not big enough for all the spectators. But those who are shut out can still get an insider’s view of exhibits being discussed. In an unusual move, Judge Catherine Eagles has asked the clerks to post exhibits already published to the jury on a public website. Read more here.

Other political headlines:

--The Democratic Party’s national chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, added her voice to the president’s by speaking out against North Carolina’s proposed marriage amendment. Prominent Democrats also want to put the legalization of same-sex marriage in the party platform.

--Christensen: When President Obama visited Chapel Hill last week, the theme running through national media stories was how difficult it is going to be for the president to win North Carolina again. Full column here.

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.

Voters will begin casting ballots Thursday throughout North Carolina. At stake: primaries for hundreds of local, state and federal offices – and a make-or-break vote on a proposed marriage amendment to the state constitution. Check out the voter's guide and get a list of early polling places.

--The lascivious details Wednesday in the sexual harassment case involving party leadership magnified the spectacle embarrassing the state Democratic Party in an election year and came just days before President Barack Obama is expected to visit North Carolina.  Read story here.

--In what sounded like a preview of his own acceptance speech, Republican Mitt Romney came to Charlotte on Wednesday to make a case against President Barack Obama as a failed leader whose policies have made the economy worse. Read more here.

--The Democratic gubernatorial candidates pledged if elected to veto any bill requiring photo identification to vote. Wednesday evening’s discussion was the third and final televised debate held on three consecutive nights leading up to the May 8 primary election. Read story here and get the pundits take on the debate.

Could it be his universal health care plan? Or his anti-poverty proposals? Or how he looks in blue jeans?

For whatever reason, a new poll of South Carolinians has found John Edwards as the sexiest presidential candidate, Rob Christensen reports.

Edwards received 16 percent of the sexy vote, well ahead of Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton, who each received 11 percent, according a survey by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh. Barack Obama was a close third with 10 percent.

Some of the other candidates didn’t do so well: John McCain (4 percent) Fred Thompson (3 percent), Mike Huckabee (2 percent) and Rudy Giuliani (1 percent.)

Among Democratic voters there was virtually a three-way tie among Edwards, Clinton and Obama. But Edwards led because of crossover appeal among Republican women. Romney was regarded as the sexiest among Republicans.

The biggest category (41 percent) thought that none of the presidential hopefuls were sexy.

The survey of 1,279 likely primary voters was conducted Jan. 11-12 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percent.

Jon Ham points out an error in yesterday's Dome (and today's print edition).

We wrote that Mitt Romney was attacking Mike Huckabee for "channeling" John Edwards, then said that Huckabee and Edwards are the only two Southerners left in the race.

"Fred! would beg to differ," Ham writes on his Right Angles blog.

We stand corrected. Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee is indeed still running for the Republican presidential nomination.

In our defense, he is currently polling in fourth place in South Carolina, fifth place in Florida, sixth place in Michigan, sixth place in California, fifth place in New York, and fifth place nationally.

And, in our hearts, he's still the district attorney of New York City.

Mitt Romney had a "spirited" attack on Mike Huckabee Sunday.

The Republican presidential hopeful accused rival Mike Huckabee of "channeling" Democratic candidate John Edwards in his populism, Rob Christensen reports.

"This kind of divisive, populist approach is like he's channeling John Edwards. It is not working for John Edwards. It's not going to work for Mike Huckabee," Romney said on CNN's Late Edition. "He said he’s cut taxes. How disingenuous can that be?"

It could be the Southern accent. Edwards and Huckabee are the only two Southerners left in the presidential race. 

Unless Romney meant someone else...

What comes after New Hampshire?

The next primary is Tuesday in Michigan, but it won't be a race among the Democrats. Because of a dispute over the timing of the election, Hillary Clinton is the only major candidate on the ballot, and she will not be campaigning in the state.

For Republicans, however, Michigan will be a key test for Mitt Romney. He's a native, and his father served as governor, so a loss there could further damage his campaign.

On Saturday, Jan. 19, Democrats will hold caucuses in Nevada, a key state for organized labor and Hispanics. The state's powerful Culinary Workers Union is expected to endorse Obama, but John Edwards has been courting unions there as well.

For both parties, South Carolina looms just over the horizon. Republicans will face off there on Jan. 19, with John McCain hoping to avoid the kind of devastating loss he suffered to George W. Bush there in 2000.

Democrats will face off in the Palmetto State the following Saturday, Jan. 26.

John Edwards has already got two votes in New Hampshire.

Voting in the state's presidential primary began at midnight in the tiny town of Dixville Notch. Ballots by all 17 registered voters have already been counted.

Among Democrats, Barack Obama got seven votes; Edwards, two; and Bill Richardson one. Hillary Clinton did not receive any.

Among Republicans, John McCain got four votes; Mitt Romney, 2; and Rudy Guiliani, one.

The results are statistically meaningless and ultimately unimportant, but Dixville Notch has long used the publicity to promote the local ski resort, which Dome heartily recommends.

The Dome Office Pool is now closed.

The final tally shows some interesting results. There were 33 official entrants, including WUNC reporter Laura Leslie, Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Dan Besse, former Labor Commissioner candidate Wayne Goodwin and a host of Dome regulars.

* The most popular Democratic pick: Obama-Edwards-Clinton, with 16.

* The second-most popular: Obama-Clinton-Edwards tied with Edwards Clinton Obama, at 4.

* The most popular Republican pick: Huckabee-Romney-McCain, with 12.

* The second-most popular: Romney-Huckabee-McCain, with 10.

* Outliers: One picks McCain for first. One picks Giuliani for second. Two pick Biden for third place.

* Medians for Democrats: Obama 32, Edwards 31, Clinton 28.

* Medians for Republicans: Huckabee 30, Romney 29, McCain 19.