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In his first press conference since taking the helm of the state Democratic Party, Chairman Randy Voller took aim at Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and the GOP legislature, saying they are not fulfilling their campaign promise to focus on the economy.

"All I hear up here is cut, cut, cut and I don't see a lot of things that are creating jobs," he said at party headquarters in Raleigh. "North Carolinians need to have jobs. They need to have jobs that pay. They need to have health insurance. They need to have livable wages."

Voller said the "radical, reactionary" legislature should stop "monkeying around with removing people from commissions and other things that are not focused on creating opportunities in our communities."

For the first time in more than a century, the once-proud party of Jim Hunt and Terry Sanford, Luther Hodges and O. Max Gardner has been banished to the back benches of North Carolina state government.

The state Democratic Party also has been in turmoil since last spring, after allegations of sexual harassment. State Party chairman David Parker was criticized for his handling of the affair, but ignored pressure to resign. As a result, he became a liability as a spokesman and fundraiser.

Still, Parker has privately told some he may seek another term, and party leaders fear he may have the committee votes to keep the job. Read more here.

More political headlines:

Gov. Bev Perdue will play hostess in chief this week with the world look at North Carolina amid the Democratic convention. Her tentative schedule four national cable news interviews starting with CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday live from Charlotte at 9 a.m. 

On Monday, after rehearsing for her opening remarks on the convention's first day, Perdue is tentatively scheduled to appear on MSNBC for separate interviews with Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews. And later in the week she will appear on MSNBC again for an interview with Chuck Todd.

But one major N.C. Democratic face you won't see on TV: state party Chairman David Parker, officials said. (The less he's seen the better, some Democrats privately say.) 

A Wake County judge on Wednesday denied a request for a preliminary injunction against the state Democratic Party filed by a former staffer.

Adriadn Ortega filed the injunction request in June as part of his defamation lawsuit against the party and Chairman David Parker. Ortega alleges he was fired in retaliation for making sexual harassment complaints against his boss, Jay Parmley, the party's executive director, and the party violated a nondisclosure agreement and disparaged him.

His attorney, Kieran Shanahan, a prominent Republican who serves as a state GOP spokesman, said Ortega is concerned the party won't abide by the confidential agreement going forward nor make forthcoming financial payments as prescribed in the settlement. He also worried that the campaign season and upcoming Democratic convention in Charlotte will call attention to the case and prompt comments about Ortega.

In a segment called "Tarred Heels," The Daily Show's Jon Stewart ridiculed North Carolina Democrats on Thursday for their various sex scandals.

He starts with John Edwards and moves to the sexual harassment controversy at the state Democratic Party. ("On the bright side, no love child.") His mashup of David Parker's notorious rambling press conference is clever as he notes Jay Parmley's "Seinfeld defense." (He's a close talker.) The kicker: "Congratulations North Carolina, you have become the Democrat's South Carolina." Ouch.

The TV satellite trucks are no longer stationary outside the N.C. Democratic Party headquarters on Hillsborough Street. But many questions surrounding the sexual harassment claims that crippled the party still remain unanswered. Here's a few storylines left in my notebook:

1. The money. The cost of the settlement with the former Democratic Party staffer who alleged sexual harassment and the source of the money is still unknown. But here's a more interesting point that went underreported: At the press conference, when I asked Chairman David Parker the source of the payout he said this: "I do not know. I leave that up the lawyer." So attorney John Wallace is authorized to spend party money and select its source as he sees fit? 

In an extraordinary act of political theater, the state Democratic chairman described and dismissed outright the sexual harassment claims against the party’s former top official and refused to immediately relinquish his post Thursday, despite intense national political pressure.

David Parker stood behind a podium, pale in the TV lights, speaking for 35 minutes using prepared notes and pausing long enough before answering questions to allow the laughter of children on the school playground next door to fill the cavernous room. Read the full story about the controversy paralyzing the Democratic Party and learn more about his investment in a Charlotte area development that put him in the public eye.

In other headlines this morning:

--Activities for and against the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions have drawn more attention than the primary campaigns so far. The marriage campaigns have been working for months on their messages, but now that early voting has started and with less than three weeks until the May 8 primary, the pace and intensity of the efforts are increasing. Read about the competing campaign's efforts here.

For three consecutive nights this week, the major Democratic candidates for governor will debate each other on television in what could be a pivotal moment in the race to become North Carolina’s next chief executive.

The debates are seen as particularly critical this year, because with just three weeks until the May 8 primary, the governor’s race has so far attracted little attention, created little buzz and produced few political commercials. Read more here.

In other headlines:

--The N.C. Democratic Party remains shrouded in questions after the resignation of Executive Director Jay Parmley amid a fast-moving scandal.

--A former speech writer for John Edwards is trying to quash a subpoena from her former boss calling on her to testify.

--The Nature Conservancy's North Carolina chapter fights to preserve land even after state lawmakers made deep cuts to the conservation trust funds.