• Gov. Pat McCrory names Senior Associate Supreme Court Justice Mark Martin to the seat being vacated Aug. 31 by Chief Justice Sarah Parker. Martin is running in November for a full term against Ola Lewis, who took issue with Martin’s selection. McCrory reportedly will fill Martin’s spot before the election. Appeals Court Judges Jimmy Ervin, a Democrat, and Bob Hunter, a Republican, are running for the seat.
• Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan joins four female Democratic Senate candidates in states that supported Mitt Romney in 2012, forming the Blue Senate 2014 PAC. The group will pool campaign funds and target spending on specific issues.
• The Daily Tar Heel at UNC-Chapel Hill interviews Libertarian U.S. Senate nominee Sean Haugh.
• Michael Barone observes that, unlike President Obama, Hillary Clinton, a likely 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, isn’t on the road raising money for Democratic Senate candidates. Barone notes that Richard Nixon’s prolific 1966 fundraising success for Republican candidates was key to his winning the GOP nomination two years later.
