Across the South, there has been a rising GOP tide. But even though North Carolina votes Republican for president and the U.S. Senate, nearly a generation has elapsed since a Republican was elected governor -- Jim Martin in 1988. Full control of the legislature has eluded the GOP for a century.

In no other Southern state have Democrats so dominated state politics.

"It is a travesty that North Carolina is controlled by the Democrats," said U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk, at a breakfast Saturday at the N.C. Conservative Leadership Conference.

That is why about 400 conservatives gathered Friday and Saturday at a hotel near Research Triangle Park to discuss ways, as the organizers put it, "to reclaim North Carolina." The conference brought together activists from across the state. They participated in workshops and heard speakers call for a crackdown on illegal immigration, cuts in state spending and taxes, a law to make English the official state language, a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and an end to taxpayer incentives to recruit businesses.

Hoping to use those issues -- and exploit the controversies surrounding Democratic House Speaker Jim Black -- conservatives seek to gain control of the legislature in November. Democrats have a 29-21 advantage in the Senate and a 63-57 edge in the House.

But to do so, the Republicans must overcome some countervailing political winds. House Republicans remain bitterly divided by factional warfare, including an efforts by conservatives to oust Speaker Pro Tem Richard Morgan, the highest-ranking Republican in the legislature.

The Republicans must also deal with their own scandals in Washington, as well as an increasingly unpopular war in Iraq.

This was the first such conservative conference in North Carolina, but organizers hope it will become an annual affair in which like-minded activists can network and trade notes.

The organizer was Jack Hawke, a former state GOP chairman who now leads the Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based conservative organization.

Other sponsors beside Civitas include the John Locke Foundation, the N.C. Family Policy Council, the National Rifle Association and the state Christian Action League.

Among those who spoke to the group was U.S. Sen. George Allen of Virginia, a likely GOP presidential candidate in 2008.

Looking for best appeal

Although the conference was nonpartisan, an underlying theme was how conservatives, through the Republican Party, can better appeal to voters.

A number of reasons are often cited for the Republican failure to do better in Raleigh.

For one thing, while Republicans have run candidates with star quality, such as Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, for the Senate their candidates for governor have been less stellar.

"There has been a void in leadership in the conservative movement in North Carolina, especially since Sen. Helms retired," said former Raleigh Mayor Tom Fetzer. "We need a new generation of conservative leaders to come forward and accept the mantle."

As if if to capture the old Jesse Helms magic, the conference held one panel discussion called "Helms' Principles" where former aides recalled anecdotes about the man who helped build the modern Republican Party.

The Republicans argue that Democrats perpetuate their power by controlling the redistricting process, creating Democrat-friendly districts and vacuuming up political con- tributions from big business.

"We have been able to stand toe-to-toe on funding in federal races," said Bill Cobey, a former congressman and state party chairman from Durham.

"But because Democrats have had power so long in the state, they have been able to perpetuate their ability to raise money. There are lot of folks who give substantial amounts of money who want to be on the winning side."

Later this month, for example, Jim Goodnight, a Republican and the founder of SAS, the Cary software company, will host a fund-raiser at the Prestonwood Country Club for Democratic Senate leader Marc Basnight.

Issues of identity

Democrats have also been careful to appeal to North Carolina's conservative instincts. Gov. Mike Easley was a gun-toting prosecutor who is famous for crashing racing cars. His predecessor, four-term Gov. Jim Hunt, is a pro-business corporate lawyer and strong death penalty supporter.

Hawke argues that the state Republican Party lacks a strong identity, which hurts it among the many Republicans moving from outside North Carolina into the state's fast-growing suburbs. They may vote for President Bush but not for local Republicans.

The state party "has no issues that people can pick out and say these are Republican issues," Hawke said. "It has no leader that they can pick out and say this is a Republican leader. On the state level, the Republican Party has not done a good job of giving people a reason to associate with Republicans."