Election Bites

Trail Mix is back home in Raleigh today and — after wading through heaps of e-mails and news stories that have accumulated over the last six days — is back to the grind of state politics.

A lot happened during my absence. Here is an overview, gorp-style:

CHARLOTTE-ANS: Two Republicans from Charlotte ramped up their long-expected candidacies for statewide office. Robert Pittenger, a state senator, formally announced yesterday that he is running for lieutenant governor. And today, Pat McCrory, the mayor of Charlotte, is announcing his run for governor in a town north of High Point. Both men have been de facto candidates for a while; perhaps they think coyness is a cure for the Charlotte curse.

ON TV: The other, long-established candidates for governor faced off last week in the first televised debates of the campaign. As usual, there was no love lost between Democrats Richard Moore and Beverly Perdue. Moore and Perdue also began running their first televised campaign ads this week.

THE MONEY GAME: Several candidates for political office have released figures showing how much money they raised in the fourth quarter of 2007. A bunch of others are holding out on releasing the figures. The formal paperwork is not due until later this month.