• House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, made it official: He filed to run against first-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan. Libertarians will have a choice in the race as well, as Tim D’Annunzio (who ran for Congress as a Republican in 2010 and 2012) and Sean Haugh filed.
• Republican U.S. Senate candidate Greg Brannon has another issue that raises concerns: He has failed to file federal ethics disclosure forms, a requirement that is supposed to be satisfied within 30 days of raising money for a campaign — in Brannon’s instance, it should have occurred roughly one year ago. It’s not a serious offense, but it’s another embarrassment. A campaign spokesman said he thought the paperwork was filed last year.
• In judicial contests, as expected, Appeals Court Judge Sam “Jimmy” Ervin filed to face Appeals Court colleague Robert N. Hunter for the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Mark Martin. Martin is running for chief justice. Also, Jeanette Doran, former head of the libertarian-conservative North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, filed against incumbent Supreme Court Justice Robin Hudson.
• Bloomberg Businessweek notes that Rep. Walter Jones, R-3rd, the only Republican still in Congress who voted for the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill, has drawn the wrath of JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. The three financial heavyweights are using their Political Action Committees to go after Jones and support Taylor Griffin, a former financial industry consultant who’s opposing Jones in the GOP primary.
• The most recent list of candidates who’ve filed is available from the State Board of Elections here (PDF). Filing ends at noon Friday.
