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Jim Neal has changed his mind on the "dream ticket."

The former U.S. Senate candidate had lobbied on behalf of the Draft Obama Clinton group Monday for Barack Obama to select Hillary Clinton as his running mate. 

But he writes on his Daily Kos diary today that he changed his mind after hearing Clinton's (non-)concession speech Tuesday and reading people's reactions to it the following morning.

"Maybe Obama and Clinton are the most formidable duo. There is an argument to be made and I did so a few days ago. However, I've gotta say that I jumped the gun," he writes. 

He says he has "pulled" his endorsement of the movement.

"I'll eat crow on this one without hestitation," he writes. 

Former U.S. Senate candidate Jim Neal is lobbying for Hillary Clinton for vice president.

The Chapel Hill investment banker, who lost the Democratic primary to state Sen. Kay Hagan in May, is the spokesman for Draft Obama Clinton in North Carolina.

The group is pushing for Clinton to be Barack Obama's running mate.

"Both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama have energized millions of new voters, and all of them are committed to seeing a Democrat in the White House in January," Neal said in a statement. "The best way to unite the party is to unite the two strongest candidates our party has ever seen."

Draft Obama Clinton was launched by Citizens Consent, a grassroots organization unaffiliated with either campaign. It launched a draft Kerry-Edwards Web site in 2004, collecting over 100,000 signatures in an online petition. 

In the primary, Neal endorsed Obama, saying he thought Clinton would be great in the No. 2 slot. In recent weeks, he has reorganized his Facebook supporter group, saying he intends to remain involved in state politics. 

If the campaign were a trial, it would be time for closing arguments.

There's little time between now and Election Day on Tuesday to put up new ads, make new arguments or announce new endorsements.

But the Democratic candidates have a chance to directly address the jury tonight.

U.S. Senate candidates Jim Neal and Kay Hagan, gubernatorial candidates Richard Moore and Beverly Perdue and presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all have speaking slots at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner tonight.

So far, 5,000 tickets have been sold and 150 media types are expected. (A stark contrast to last year, when one of the only two reporters was Dome, and we were both kicked out.)

This weekend will also see the final push on early voting, which ends Saturday. Obama is holding a concert in Carrboro as we type, and Clinton will hold a get-out-the-vote rally tonight.

The Republican candidates don't have as big a spotlight, although Fred Smith will be at the Reagan Day Dinner in Johnston County Saturday, and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain will give a speech at Wake Forest University Tuesday.

Surrogates for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton faced off Saturday.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, an Obama supporter, and National Women's Political Caucus head Irene Natividad, a Clinton supporter, spoke before the Jefferson-Jackson Breakfast.

The breakfast will be held by the Democratic Women of Wake County at 9:30 a.m. at the Sheraton in downtown Raleigh.

Gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue also spoke.

"This is an exciting time to be working in politics as we have important races from the county level on up to President in 2008," said Democratic Women president Patricia Hawkins.

U.S. Reps. Brad Miller, David Price and Bob Etheridge and U.S. Senate candidates Kay Hagan and Jim Neal were also expected to attend.

Update: The event was last Saturday. Dome was off for a few days and misunderstood an old e-mail. Our apologies.

Jim Neal has endorsed Barack Obama.

The Chapel Hill investment banker, who is running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, announced in an e-mail to the press that he is endorsing Obama today.

"I believe Senator Obama is best able to create the new politics that people desire, a new politics that is as great and as inclusive as our state and our nation," he wrote.

He also wrote that Democrats should stop "fighting amongst ourselves" and unite against Republican nominee John McCain.

"I happen to believe the best way to do that is to come together and support a ticket that has Barack Obama as President and Hillary Clinton as vice president," he writes. 

Neal faces state Sen. Kay Hagan in the primary along with three longshot candidates.