Democrats still seeking a speaker

With the Democrats' annual Vance-Aycock fundraising dinner in Asheville a little over a week away, there is still no scheduled speaker.

Democratic leaders are sending out fundraising e-mails boasting about what big speakers they had last year, reports Rob Christensen. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen was the keynoter, but Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama made a surprise visit. Obama was nearby prepping for a debate with his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

This year's event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3.

North Carolina Democrats are probably holding out for some big-name Democrat from Washington. They landed Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the Democratic National Committee chairman, for their Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner dinner in Raleigh in the spring.

Given the emphasis that the Obama administration has put on North Carolina, which Obama carried by the slimmest of margins last year, a big name seems possible.