Miller, a Raleigh Democrat, announced the endorsement Thursday after meeting with Obama in Washington. Obama overwhelmingly won the Tar Heel state in the primary Tuesday, picking up Miller's 13th Congressional District with 63 percent of the vote.

"Senator Obama understands that he has the chance not just to win the election this year, but to be a great president," Miller said in a statement.

Miller also praised Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying the decision was "not easy."

"Senator Clinton has run an impressive campaign, and has spoken eloquently to the concerns to working and middle class American families," he said.

Miller's wife, Esther Hall, sat behind Obama at the senator's election night speech in Raleigh. Miller said he didn't have advance notice she would be there.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat, also attended a meeting with Obama on Thursday, but, "He has no plans to make an endorsement right now," said Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for Etheridge.

So, when might he decide?

"He doesn't have a timeline," she said.

Etheridge's 2nd Congressional District went for Obama, 57 to 40 percent.

Easley didn't run but lost

Did Gov. Mike Easley lose Tuesday?

The governor was not on the ballot, but he was the highest-ranking state politician to publicly endorse Clinton, and he campaigned heavily for her.

That led Washington Post blog The Fix, by Chris Cillizza, to list him as one of the primary's losers.

"Obama hammered Clinton in the Tarheel State, and Easley, who will be looking for a job when his second term expires later this year, did himself no favors in positioning for a possible Obama cabinet," he wrote.

(Note to The Fix: That's "Tar Heel state.")

Basnight didn't run but won

One of the big winners of Tuesday's primary wasn't on the ballot.

The Senate's president pro tem, Marc Basnight, is a big ally of three of the Democratic candidates who won primary races: gubernatorial nominee Beverly Perdue, lieutenant governor candidate Walter Dalton and U.S. Senate nominee Kay Hagan.

All three are graduates of Basnight's finishing school, serving in the state Senate and on the powerful appropriations committee. And all three beat challengers who did not come from that mold.

A fourth winner, state treasurer candidate Janet Cowell, served in the Senate for two terms but was not close to Basnight and did not serve on the budget committee.

If any of them win in November, Basnight's power base in Raleigh will grow.

Already, he has built a powerful political machine that has lasted since 1993, outlasted a rival power base set up in the House by disgraced former Speaker Jim Black and had good relationships with two two-term Democratic governors, Jim Hunt and Mike Easley.

Local pollster tops them all

Public Policy Polling had the best numbers on the presidential race.

According to a "pollster report card" by rival SurveyUSA, the Raleigh-based Democratic firm came closest to the 56-42 win by Obama.

Public Policy Polling had predicted a 53-43 win.

Several other companies came closer on the margin of victory. (Civitas predicted an 18-point margin, but its numbers were much older.)

Under SurveyUSA's ranking system, which eludes our complete understanding, Public Policy Polling came out on top among 10 pollsters.

It beat Zogby International, Rasmussen Reports and Research 2000.