South Carolina Democrats are rallying to support their neighbors to the north. Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian sent an email to activists saying President Barack Obama won North Carolina in 2008 “because thousands of South Carolinian’s volunteered their time to knock on doors and make phone calls. We can do it again.”

Harpootlian put the stakes this way: “Just one of your days can make the difference between our dreams being realized during the next four years or the nightmare of President Mitt Romney.”

S.C. Democrats should have plenty of time to spare – it’s not like Obama stands a chance in the Palmetto state.

Conspiracy raised, debunked

The Republicans vying for the Secretary of State’s office are sounding the alarm on the campaign trail: George Soros is trying to buy the office.

Ed Goodwin, a Chowan County commissioner, recently told a voter forum that Soros, a billionaire financier who donates prolifically to liberal causes, is trying to elect Democrats to the post so he can exert control over the state’s elections. “We have to be very careful of that,” he said.

His rival in the July runoff election, Kenn Gardner, chimed in: “I have no doubts that he had money that goes to Elaine Marshall,” the incumbent Democrat.

In PolitiFact parlance, the candidates would get a Pants On Fire ruling from the Truth-O-Meter.

First of all, in North Carolina, the Secretary of State doesn’t control elections – they are handled by the State Board of Elections, an agency whose leader is appointed by the governor. (Goodwin acknowledged this point – but still suggested Soros is playing a role, somehow.)

The candidates’ remarks invoked Soros’ ties to the Secretary of State Project, which formed with the idea that it would elect Democrats and keep Republicans from “manipulating” election results, according to news reports. But the problem is the group now appears defunct.

And there’s no evidence Soros has donated directly to Marshall. According to the state’s campaign finance database, Soros has given to only one statewide candidate in North Carolina: J.B. Buxton, a superintendent candidate in 2004, received $2,000.

Marshall spokesman Thomas Millis replied to the GOP accusations: “That would be laughable except that (they) could be secretary of state in North Carolina. That’s scary that someone that divorced from reality could possibly run a department of that size.”

Unions plan own convention

Labor unions appear poised to sit on the sidelines for the 2012 Democratic National Convention – in part because of its location: Charlotte.

More than a dozen labor unions are planning to boycott the convention and instead host a shadow event Aug. 11 in Philadelphia, three weeks before Democrats gather in Charlotte.

“Having the convention in Charlotte was kind of a wakeup call to that fact that really no one’s paying attention to the middle class and to working people in this country,” Ed Hill, president of the Electrical Workers union, told the Associated Press.

ALF-CIO President Richard Trumka wrote a letter to member unions saying the group isn’t hosting events at the convention and wouldn’t play a significant role.

The letter cited changes to the union’s political program, and a labor official told Huffington Post North Carolina’s role as host had little to do with it. The state is a so-called “right-to-work” state, and union participation is the lowest in the country at 2.9 percent.

Romney raises $1.7M in N.C.

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney raised nearly $1.7 million in North Carolina from 14,000 donors in June. That was part of $106.1 million that Romney raised nationally last month for his campaign and Republican coffers.

Robert Reid, state spokesman for the Romney campaign, said the financial backing reflected wide support in the state for the former Massachusetts governor.

“President Obama may think 8 percent unemployment is a ‘step in the right direction,’ but for the 435,000 unemployed North Carolinians the Obama economy is a disaster,” Reid said.

Burr bill tough on leaks

Sen. Richard Burr, R-Winston-Salem, on Tuesday introduced a bill that would revoke clearance of any individual who discloses information about U.S. covert programs.

“There has been no shortage of news reports lately regarding covert and classified actions,” said Burr, who is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “Such reckless disclosure of top-secret information compromises our national security, jeopardizes the work our intelligence officers and overseas partners, and risks innocent lives.”

Staff writers John Frank and Rob Christensen

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