Free Republic

RALEIGH, N.C. - The North Carolina Democratic Party asked voters Wednesday to avoid shopping at dozens of discount retail stores whose parent company, owned by a conservative activist's family, injected hundreds of thousands of dollars into the fall elections to target Democrats. Party leaders set their sights on Variety Wholesalers Inc. executive Art Pope at a news conference, calling him a "right-wing extremist" who sent money to at least three conservative political organizations that have created mailers and ads critical of Democratic incumbents. The party's boycott of the company's North Carolina stores, mostly under the names of Roses, Maxway and...

Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the early 2008 presidential leader in North Carolina, according to a Civitas Institute poll. The institute conducted a telephone poll of 800 voters in the state.McCain was the leader among possible Republican candidates with 31 percent of those surveyed. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards led the list of possible Democratic contenders with 24 percent of those surveyed.Civitas President Jack Hawke said, “Edwards’ figures may also be inflated by the fact that the poll was conducted among North Carolinians, as opposed to voters from across the nation. It is interesting that an Arizona senator...