• Outgoing Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan keeps getting attention from national outlets. The New York Post puts her on a list of “crazy politicians” for her decision to be a no-show at the final Senate debate with eventual winner Thom Tillis. And Politico says N.C. Republicans continue to be wary of Hagan as a possible challenger to incumbent Republican Sen. Richard Burr, who’s up for re-election in 2016.
• That Politico story mentions a host of other potential Burr opponents, including former 11th District U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, but the Asheville Citizen-Times notes that Shuler may not be interested in running — and, as a lobbyist for Duke Energy — may not be a favorite among progressive Democrats.
• Roll Call gets into the act as well, naming the Burr contest one of 10 to watch in 2016, and noting that Burr doesn’t have massive amounts of cash in his campaign accounts and will need to start raising a lot of money in a hurry.
• Tillis sits down with The Associated Press for a pre-session interview.
• In a move that’s not surprising, Gov. Pat McCrory selected Supreme Court Associate Justice Bob Hunter (a Republican who lost his election bid to Democratic Appeals Court Judge Sam Ervin IV) to Ervin’s now-vacant appeals court seat. Hunter and Ervin served together on the appeals court before McCrory picked Hunter to fill a vacancy on the high court.
