Charlotte ranks No. 2 in political fundraising

If you needed further proof that the Democratic National Convention was a nonstop party, here it is. The 362 political fundraisers held in Charlotte during those four days drove the city to the No. 2 spot on the Sunlight Foundation's annual ranking of political fundraising cities.

The Tuesday and Wednesday of convention week turned out to be the busiest fundraising days of the entire year, according to the foundation, with 249 political parties between them.

Washington D.C., naturally, again hosted the most fundraisers, with 1,128. Tampa, home to this year's Republican National Convention, came in third at 209.

The DNC-related parties accounted for 85 percent of the total number of political fundraisers in Charlotte during the entire year. The city's overall total this year was 423.

The rest of the top 10:

• New York City: 69
• San Francisco: 36
• Chicago: 25
• Los Angeles: 25
• Boston: 23
• St. Petersburg, Fla.: 21
• Denver: 16

Will the Panthers game decide the presidential election?

A lot more could be riding on the Panthers-Redskins game this weekend than Carolina's season. If history is any indication, another Panthers loss would signal that President Barack Obama would be re-elected.

CBS Sports reports that in 17 of 18 Washington Redskins games before presidential elections, a Redskins win has been followed by the incumbent party staying in power. A Redkins loss has been followed by the opposition party taking the White House.

It's called the Redskins Rule, and it has been well  documented.

The only deviation was in 2004, when the Redskins lost to the Packers but President George W. Bush was re-elected.

The Redskins (3-5) are 3.5 point favorites over the visiting Panthers (1-6).

No N.C. stops scheduled for Obama or Romney

So much for North Carolina being a key battleground state.

Neither President Barack Obama nor Republican challenger Mitt Romney are scheduled to make stops in the state before Election Day, according to several reports from the campaign trail.

The candidates' scheduled appearances are starting to be released after both cut campaigning short as superstorm Sandy pummeled the East Coast.

Both are making swings through Ohio, Wisconsin, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and New Hampshire.

The most recent updates came from NBC News reporter Mark Murray:

Obama's final sked: THU -- WI, NV, CO; FRI -- OH; SAT -- OH, WI, IA, VA; SUN -- NH, FL, OH, CO; MON -- WI, OH, IA
— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) November 1, 2012

Romney's final sked: THU -- VA; FRI -- WI, OH; SAT -- IA, NH, CO; SUN: --TDB; MON --NH
— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) November 1, 2012

From an RNC spokesman:

.@stefcutter to @chucktodd "We are hitting every battleground state." They are not going to NC. All you need to know about NC.
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) November 1, 2012

The Romney campaign said Wednesday that North Carolina was drifting away from Obama. The president's campaign, for its part, said Monday the state was very much in play.

Vice President Joe Biden's wife, Jill Biden, is still scheduled to campaign in Huntersville and Asheville on Friday.

UPDATE: Looks like the Obama campaign is still thinking about North Carolina. Michelle Obama is now scheduled to visit Charlotte on Monday.

Jill Biden to visit Huntersville on Friday

Jill Biden will rally Obama campaign volunteers in Huntersville on Friday.

The wife of Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. at the Obama-Biden campaign field office at 14229 Reese Boulevard.

She had been scheduled to be in Huntersville

 

-- Tim Funk

Latest PPP poll: Obama-Romney tied in NC

The presidential race in North Carolina remains neck-and-neck, according to a new poll, with virtually no voters still undecided.

The survey, released Wednesday by Raleigh-based Public Policy Polling, found President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tied with 49 percent each.

The poll also found that Obama is winning among early voters in the state, 58 percent to 41 percent. Romney is ahead among those who have not yet voted, 58 percent to 40 percent, according to the survey from the Democratic-leaning firm.

This is the second week in a row that PPP found the presidential race deadlocked in North Carolina.

But PPP's Wednesday survey comes on the heels of a poll done for WRAL-TV in Raleigh that found Romney ahead 50 percent to 45 percent in the Tar Heel State.

Both campaigns addressed their North Carolina prospects during Wednesday conference calls with reporters. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said that "our margin continues to increase every day in (early voting sites) all across the state.

And he charged that that Romney's campaign was bluffing in its claims of momentum.

"He hasn't put a single battleground state away," Messina said. "remember when Romney was going to leave North Carolina (by pulling out some staff)? They've now raced to increase their TV ads there." That, added Messina, is "the clearest sign of all" that North Carolina is till up for grabs.

Romney's campaign team told reporters that North Carolina is drifting away from Obama.

"This is one that I get a kick out of that I'm still talking about," political director Rich Beeson said while commenting on the different battleground states.

 He said that while early voting turnout still favors registered Democrats in North Carolina, Republicans have cut that gap by 100,000 votes from 2008 numbers.

"North Carolina continues to move further and further from (Obama), as evidenced that they have not had the president down there since he left the convention," Beeson said, referring to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

 -- Tim Funk and Andrew Dunn

Romney campaign says N.C. drifting away from Obama

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign team said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday that North Carolina is drifting away from President Barack Obama.

"This is one that I get a kick out of that I"m still talking about," political director Rich Beeson said while going through a list of the campaign's thoughts on battleground states.

He said that while early voting turnout still favors registered Democrats in North Carolina, Republicans have cut that gap by 100,000 votes from 2008 numbers.

"North Carolina continues to move further and further from him, as evidenced that they have not had the president down there since he left the convention," Beeson said, referring to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

Obama's campaign would not say Monday whether Obama would make another appearance in North Carolina, but said they felt the state was still very much in play.

Public Policy Polling had the candidates tied at 49 percent on Wednesday. A WRAL poll Tuesday had Romney ahead 50-45.

WRAL poll: Romney leads Obama in N.C.

A survey released Tuesday by WRAL-TV found that, a week before Election Day, former Massachussets Gov. Mitt Romney leads President Barack Obama, 50 percent to 45 percent in North Carolina.

The Raleigh-Durham TV station's poll, conducted by SurveyUSA, comes on the heels of three other state polls -- released between last Thursday and Monday -- that said the presidential race in the Tar Heel State is neck-and-neck.

That was also the verdict in WRAL's last poll, from four weeks ago. But the one released Tuesday found that Romney had moved into a lead by eliminating Obama's advantage with female voters. They are now tied at 47 percent among women, the poll found.

Romney was ahead among independents and weathier voters, according to WRAL.

Favoring Obama: Young voters.

With early voting in the state underway, the WRAL survey found that Obama leads among people who have already voted (56 percent to 43 percent).

But those who said they plan to vote in Election Day favor Romney, 60 percent to 33 percent.

-- Tim Funk