The State Farmers Market in Raleigh offered an extraordinary sight last week that had nothing to do with the fall harvest of apples, cabbages, cucumbers, peanuts and sweet potatoes.

Much of the Tar Heel Democratic establishment showed up at a rally to boost the candidacy of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Present were four-term Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt, four congressmen, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and state Senate leader Tony Rand -- all singing Obama's praises.

Flashback: Twenty-four years ago, I was at the Western Farmers Market in Asheville when Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale made his lone appearance in North Carolina on his way to a landslide defeat. The highest-ranking Democrat to be seen with Mondale was the late Sodfather, Agriculture Commissioner Jim Graham -- and that was only because he ran the farmers market.

North Carolina Democrats -- like most Southern Democrats -- have for decades tried to separate themselves from an unpopular national ticket.

Republicans did everything they could to tie the local Democratic candidates to the national ticket. In 1972, Republican Jesse Helms criticized his Senate opponent, Democratic Congressman Nick Galifianakis, by tying him to Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern. Helms talked about "McGovernGalifianakis welfare giveaways" and "McGovernGalifianakis cut-and-run" policies in Vietnam.

Helms may have set a record of sorts when in 1984, during his last debate with Hunt, he mentioned Mondale's name 40 times.

When Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore arrived at the Winston-Salem airport for his debate with George Bush at Wake Forest University in 2000, gubernatorial hopeful Mike Easley ignored pleas from supporters and greeted Gore.

After offering a $500 reward for the best picture of Easley and Gore together, the campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Vinroot aired footage featuring Easley and Gore emerging from Air Force II.

In 2002, President Bush campaigned five times with Republican Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole. This time, the only Bushes that Dole is willing to be seen with are Daddy Bush and Laura, who was in Raleigh last week for a fundraiser.

This year, in the words of longtime Democratic political strategist Gary Pearce, is "a photographic negative."

Hunt said that only twice in recent decades have we seen Tar Heel Democrats so embrace the national ticket: in 1992 with Bill Clinton and in 1976 with Jimmy Carter.

With the economy faltering and Obama doing well in the polls, it is now much safer for Tar Heel Democrats to campaign with the Democratic presidential nominee.

Rather than hurt the ticket, Obama could benefit North Carolina Democrats because of his ability to drive turnout.

This time, Democrats are trying to tie their opponents to Bush and what Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan calls the "Bush-Dole economy."

But to their credit, the major Tar Heel Republicans have not headed for the hills. When vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was in Greenville last week, most of the leading Tar Heel Republican candidates joined her.

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