Marshall endorsed by Julius Chambers

Julius Chambers, a leading civil rights attorney and educator, has endorsed Elaine Marshall in the Democratic Senate primary runoff.

Chambers, a Charlotte attorney is a well-known figure in civil rights circles having been in involved in a number of landmark desegregation cases. He is a former head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and is a former chancellor of N.C. Central University in Durham.

"I'm proud to have the support and endorsement of Julius Chambers," Marshall said in a statement. "He's dedicated his life and career to creating a more just and equitable society. I look forward to representing those same values in the U.S. Senate."

The Chambers endorsement could help Marshall among African-American voters, reports Rob Christensen. Polls suggest Marshall already has a strong lead over Cal Cunningham among African-American voters in the June 22 Democratic primary.

Marshall, North Carolina's secretary of state, has picked up a number of  endorsements of prominent African-Americans such as former Senate candidate Ken Lewis of Chapel Hill and former Congresswoman Eva Clayton of Warren County. But other prominent political figures are sitting out the runoff, including former Chief Justice Henry Frye of Greensboro and U.S. Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte.