The head of the N.C. Black Leadership Caucus, N. Carnell Robinson, wants Rep. Mickey Michaux of Durham to be the next House Speaker if incumbent Jim Black does not seek a fifth term.

Names of several possible Black successors were kicked around a few months ago when Democrats where wondering whether he could lead during the short session.

Black's legislative and fundraising activities are part of a federal investigation. Black says he is not a target.

Robinson, chairman of the political group, wants to make sure Michaux is in the mix when people talk about the next speaker. Michaux was founding chairman of the caucus.

"It appears that there is going to be a leadership void," Robinson said in an interview. "Mickey Michaux is on point on the issues affecting poor folks and black folks in North Carolina."

If Black is a question mark, he wasn't acting like it last week. He said at the time that 50 House Democrats would support his re-election to the top House leadership post next year.

Michaux said he won't run if Black does.

"If he doesn't run," Michaux said, "it's wide open."

Study group losing leader

The Institute for Emerging Issues, the Raleigh-based think tank started by former Gov. Jim Hunt, is losing its director.

Luke Bierman announced he was resigning as director to return to New York in September for family considerations.

Bierman, who is a lawyer and political scientist, had been overseeing a major study to modernize North Carolina's tax and finance structure.

Edwards raising less for self

Although John Edwards has been moving around the country raising money for legislative candidates, he has raised only a modest amount of money for his own political committee.

Edwards raised only $667,000 for his One America Committee during the first six months of the year.

That compares with $1.3 million raised by Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh for his All America PAC; $2.2 million for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's Keeping America's Promise; $4.9 million for former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner for his Forward Together PAC; $912,000 by New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's HILLPAC; $533,000 for Delaware Sen. Joe Biden's Unite Our States PAC; and $957,000 for Wisconsin Sen. Russell Feingold's Progressive Patriot's Fund.

Bost becomes ambassador

Tar Heel Eric Bost was recently sworn in as U.S. ambassador to South Africa.

Bost, a Concord native with a psychology degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Since 2001, Bost has served the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Service. Before then he worked for Texas Gov. George Bush, where he was commissioner of Texas Department of Human Resources.

Advocacy group lauds N.C.

Equality NC, a gay advocacy group, says North Carolina is the only Southern state that fended off efforts to pass a constitutional amendment to outlaw same- sex marriages.

Same-sex marriages are against the law in North Carolina. But social conservatives and their Republican allies have been pushing to put the ban into the state Constitution. The move was blocked by the Democratic leadership.

"North Carolinians should be proud that their elected leaders spent their time on important issues like ethics reforms, the minimum wage, and the state budget, rather than the politically motivated bigotry of this amendment," said Ian Palmquist, the group's executive director.