The campaign heard that an e-mail message from Paul Criscuolo, a vice president for the nation's largest wine and liquor distributor, Southern Wine & Spirits, urged contributions to her campaign with the suggestion that her election would lead to expanded marketing opportunities for the industry.

"SWS North Carolina will be contributing $15,000 to Bev Perdue's campaign from employee donations," said the message that was sent to eight people, including another SWS vice president and and two men with e-mail addresses from alcohol broker Diageo.

The e-mail message is dated Feb. 2. The day before, the liquor industry was handed a setback when the state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission revoked its permission for free tasting promotions at bars and restaurants.

The message said that with Perdue's election, current ABC chairman Douglas A. Fox, "should be reinstated." Fox supported the bar tastings and decided in October to allow them. The decision was reversed under pressure from Gov. Mike Easley's office.

Perdue's campaign heard that the e-mail message was circulating and in mid-February had its lawyer send Criscuolo a letter telling him it was out of line.

"It has come to our attention that you may have sent an e-mail solicitation to several persons that refers to a potential appointment to a regulatory board in North Carolina and that claims to represent Lt. Governor Perdue's position on issues before the board," wrote John Wallace, the campaign's attorney. "If this is true, it is unacceptable, and it is an action that the Bev Perdue campaign does not condone."

The campaign would not accept any contributions associated with the solicitation, Wallace wrote.

Perdue said she did not know how anyone got the idea she would reappoint Fox as ABC chairman.

"I've made no promises to anyone about anything," Perdue said. The only promise she has made, Perdue said, is to open an office in Charlotte.

Fox, a Wilmington lawyer who contributed $4,000 to Perdue last year, said Friday that he and Perdue have not discussed his returning as chairman if she is elected.

Criscuolo did not return telephone messages left at his office or cell phone, or respond to an e-mail request for an interview. Bill Hester, a lobbyist for Southern Wine & Spirits, said he could not talk about the company's goals for revised alcohol regulations and referred questions to Criscuolo.

"I have a chain of command," Hester said. "You need to talk to him. Bye."

Capitol gain for N.C.?

North Carolina could gain a congressional seat in 2010.

Two forecasters predict that Congress will give the state a 14th U.S. representative after the next census, based on current population growth, the Myrtle Beach Sun News recently reported.

Clark Benson of Polidata Political Data Analysis said the state could get a new seat, although it could be bumped off the the list by Pennsylvania, Washington or California.

Kimball W. Brace of Election Data Services said two of his three models showed a new seat for North Carolina.

If a new district were drawn, it could be near either Wake or Mecklenburg counties, both of which have seen rapid growth in recent years.

The U.S. Census Bureau will present the data to Congress at the start of 2011.

Munger's candidacy noted

Mike Munger recently got a brief shoutout in Newsweek.

Columnist George F. Will wrote about the Libertarian Party's resurgence in the 2008 elections:

"It has recruited 600 down-ballot candidates around the nation (including Michael Munger, chairman of the political science department at Duke, who is running for governor of North Carolina) and expects to have 1,500 by Election Day."

On his blog, Munger wrote that he got a call from Will before the column.

"George called me last week, and we got to talk for a second," Munger wrote. "He wanted to make sure I was really running, since it is 'irrational.' I pointed out that, as a Cubs fan, George Will is just as irrational as a Libertarian, and maybe more so. He acknowledged that there is some truth in that."

OVERHEARD

"I'd like a jet ski."

- former N.C. Sen. John Edwards, joking on "The Colbert Report" last week about what he wants in return for his endorsement in the Democratic presidential race.