? Candidates of all political parties work the crowd at the annual Mallard Creek barbecue event near Charlotte. The church-sponsored event, held every year since 1929, draws an estimated 20,000 people. The slide show is worth a view. Elizabeth Dole and Pat McCrory will speak tonight at a Southeastern NC candidates’ forum in Wilmington. Beverly Perdue declines the invitation to the forum but promising to return to Wilmington if elected governor. McCrory promises to create an Office of Open Government in his administration as part of a government-reform plan.
? Campaigning in Graham, Mike Munger criticizes the state’s restrictive ballot-access law.
? Perdue and Kay Hagan headline a Democratic campaign rally in Robeson County. Perdue says she’d overhaul the state Department of Transportation to reduce political influence. Most of the $20 million in out-of-state money spent on NC campaigns has been directed at the Senate race. The latest GOP ad against Hagan appears to concede the presidential race, arguing that voters should vote Dole for balance.