Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards joined a coalition of liberal advocacy groups to link the Iraq war and the recession.

In a conference call with reporters, Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, said they are joining the Iraq/Recession Campaign, which will focus on war costs and the faltering U.S. economy.

Edwards said he met a lot of Americans on the campaign trail who were anxious about war spending.

"People don't understand why we're spending $500 billion and counting in Iraq at the same time that we've got, you know, 40-plus million Americans who don't have any health-care coverage, 37 million living in poverty, people terrified about being able to pay their bills," he said.

Although he has not endorsed either U.S. Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination, Edwards spoke highly of both and linked the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, to the Iraq war.

Other prominent Democrats have joined the coalition, which intends to spend at least $20 million to attack McCain and pro-war Republicans in key states.

They include John Podesta, chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress; Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org; and Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change.

A winning week for lottery

State lottery officials say they are on a roll.

Officials announced Monday that last week was the lottery's biggest ever, with sales of nearly $28 million. Officials said that is nearly $10 million higher than their weekly average.

State lottery director Tom Shaheen credited the increase to the legislature's giving officials more flexibility in determining the prize payouts. Lottery officials have said that providing more money for prizes leads to more players and, ultimately, greater revenue for education initiatives funded by the lottery.

Hagan aide helps quietly

State Sen. Kay Hagan has hired a campaign manager for her bid for U.S. Senate.

And here's the first and last quote you might hear from her:

"I do not go on the record," said Crystal King, unprompted, to two reporters Monday after one of them asked her name.

King had just started to usher Hagan out of the State Board of Elections after Hagan filed as a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

Not exactly a warm greeting.

A quick check on Google shows that the Ohio native has worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.

Hagan, 54, is serving her fifth term in the N.C. Senate from Greensboro. She is one of several Democrats hoping to face Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole in November.

She has lined up her top management team, which includes some Senate veteran staffers, but she has not yet publicly announced them.

Holmes won't run again

State Rep. George Holmes says he has had enough.

Holmes, a Yadkin County Republican, told The Mount Airy News that he won't seek a 17th term in the state House.

Holmes told the newspaper that he was not seeking re-election because of his health. He has missed votes in the House during the past two years after being hospitalized on occasion.

Protesters target Moore

A group of six animal activists protested outside state Treasurer Richard Moore's office Monday, calling the Democratic gubernatorial candidate a "puppy killer."

The protesters were members of the N.C. Animal Defense League, a group that supports an international campaign to end public trading in contract research lab Huntingdon Life Sciences, which has locations in the United Kingdom and New Jersey.

In 2005, the New York Stock Exchange canceled the listing of Huntingdon's stock after activist pressure. But shares in Life Sciences Research, the lab's parent company, are traded on the stock exchange's online Arca board.

Moore sits on the board of directors for New York Stock Exchange Regulation.

Michelle Matheson of Chapel Hill, one of the six activists, said the campaign has focused on Moore because he is the only governmental member of the board. She said the protesters were not there to ruin Moore's name, noting that he has a good "track record" on the environment.

Stock exchange staffers made the decisions on Huntingdon. Sara Lang, speaking for Moore, said the protest was misdirected.

"Treasurer Moore does not make these decisions in his roles with the New York Stock Exchange," she said.

(David Ingram of The Charlotte Observer and correspondent Karin Dryhurst contributed to this report.)