Clinton makes fundraising stop in Charlotte

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CORRECTION

The Under the Dome column in the City & State section Monday incorrectly said that state Sen. Fred Smith, a Clayton Republican, has no opponent in his bid for re-election. A Democrat, Sherry Altman of Clayton, will face Smith in the fall election.

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New York Sen. Hillary Clinton recently held an under-the-radar fundraiser in Charlotte, making her first foray into John Edwards country.

About 60 people showed up at the home of Johnny Taylor, a Charlotte vice president for an Internet company based in New York. Among the co-hosts were two ambassadors appointed by Bill Clinton: Mark Erwin of Charlotte and Jeanette Hyde of Raleigh. Also co-hosting was Crandall Bowles, chief executive officer of Springs Industries, a Hillary Clinton classmate at Wellesley College and the wife of former Clinton chief of staff Erskine Bowles, who is now president of the University of North Carolina system.

Although listed as a co-host, Hyde said she was in Florida and did not attend the event. But she was one of a group of Democratic money raisers who attended a lunch for Sen. Clinton in Washington last summer.

Hyde's involvement is likely to raise eyebrows because she held four or five fundraisers at her Raleigh home for Edwards when he was running for the Senate and for president. But Hyde said she is still undecided about whom to back in 2008.

"I'm keeping my options open," Hyde said. "I think this event was intended to help her with her New York Senate race."

Hillary Clinton has been making a hard run at key fundraisers for various Democratic presidential candidates in 2004, including Fred Baron, the Texas trial lawyer who was a key Edwards fundraiser, according to The New York Times.

Hillary Clinton stopped in Charlotte on her way to Washington from Florida, where she attended a fundraiser for Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, according to Pat Cotham, a Democratic activist who attended the event.

Graham raises money in N.C.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina will be in Goldsboro this month raising money for state Sen. Fred Smith, a Republican from Clayton. Graham is the first of what is expected to be several national political figures who will be coming to North Carolina to help Smith.

That might be unusual for a state senator who is running unopposed this year. But Smith is almost certain to run for governor in 2008.

Smith has been moving around the state. He is scheduled to speak at 10 Lincoln-Reagan Day dinners, seven county conventions and four district GOP conventions, according to his campaign.

Graham will speak March 31 at the Lane Tree Golf Club.

Miller says cheese

Lots of people think life in our nation's capital is all wining and dining and good times. But congressional representatives are not always schmoozing with celebrities and hanging at the White House.

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller, for example, had never had his picture taken with any first lady.

Not, at least, until last week.

Miller, a Raleigh Democrat, helped host a news conference and photo op with Laura Bush to announce cities that have just won federal money for historic preservation projects in the Preserve America program.

(None, alas, is in North Carolina. Ocracoke was honored last year.)

Miller is co-chairman of the 95-member Historic Preservation Caucus in Congress. The group pushes legislation on issues such as historic preservation, economic development of downtowns, and conservation of national parks and trails.

Bush is honorary chairwoman of Preserve America, a White House initiative that encourages historic tourism.