The Iowa Caucuses in early January marked the beginning of the presidential primary season, which makes news/political junkies like myself happier than Erykah Badu with a new afro pick (and you know it's the one with the black fist). Since I live in a state that rarely gets any attention since most primaries seasons have been resolved long before NC's primary rolls around, I thought it would be cool to live vicariously through another state. Most North Carolinians followed the SC primary, while I was salty that their primary was before NC's. I mean, it's SC, the state that wrathed upon this nation Strom Thurmond and Hootie and the Blowfish. Instead, I chose to follow the DMV primaries, since I do have family in those states. Fast foward a few months, a few candidates, and a few media-generated stories, and May 6th, the date of NC's primary, is almost upon us.

In the national scheme of things, members of the Democratic Party are split between the two main (yes, Mike Gravel is still in it) remaining candidates: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Pardon my French, but both candidates and especially their surrogates have exhibited, for lack of a better word, what Diddy so eloquently calls "bitchassness". Also, the wonderful American media continues to stir the shite create instead of reporting the news and allows John McSame McCain continues unchallenged. All the while, John and Elizabeth Edwards are at their house in Chapel Hill giving the side eye to all parties involved while they plan their move to DC so John can be Attorney General.

In NC, Democrats would like to make sure they keep the governor, lieutenant governor, and majority in the General Assembly. Also, they would like a Democrat to represent the NC in the Senate, while throwing out Elizabeth Dole in the process.

I know my endorsements may not be that sought after, but I'd like to believe they have more importance than Heidi Montag's. Anyway, here are the candidates I endorse according to the NC Board of Elections' sample ballots.

NC Senate District 16: Josh Stein
Treasurer: Janet Cowell
Superintendent of Public Instruction: June Atkinson
Commissioner of Labor: Robin Anderson
Commissioner of Insurance: Wayne Goodwin
Auditor: Fred Aikens

Lieutenant Governor: Hampton Dellinger
Hampton Dellinger seems to understand the issues NC must tackle such as promoting sustainable energy, the achievement gap, teachers' salaries, and keeping right-wing politics out of science. He supports a collaboration between public, private, and nonprofit entities for better mental health care, and he opposes the Navy's proposed outlying landing field in the northeastern part of the state.

Governor: Bev Perdue
This was a hard decision to make, because both Perdue and Richard Moore have the same view on a lot of issues. What separates them is their approach. Moore plans on fulfilling his promises by working with businesses; Perdue seems to have a better understanding of how so many issues are related to each other.

US House District 13: Brad Miller
Ummm.... Honestly, I don't have any big reason for endorsing him other than he's been doing a great job representing this district. Why not let him have another term?

US Senate: Jim Neal
I know y'all haven't seen him all over commercials like you have with other candidates, but trust me. Jim Neal is full of so much win. When NC Democrats were coming up empty-handed in their search for a candidate to run against Elizabeth Dole, it was Neal who stepped up. Then, when he announced he is gay, Chuck Schumer and the and the DSCC told him to sit down and know his place. While they have chosen to support Kay Hagan, his campaign has gotten a lot of grassroots support, and attention from various influencial websites in the liberal blogosphere. So far, I have yet to hear him say anything that I disagree with.

President: Barack Obama
I remember in late July, 2004, I sat watching the Democratic National Convention on TV absolutely mesmerized by his speech. Once it was over, I practically fell in love with him. I went around bookstores searching for Dreams of My Father. I actually paid attention to the senate race in IL that year. I, too, believed that maybe the political discourse in Congress can be elevated. I believed that Barack Obama should be president someday...just not in 2008. He is too new, and I wanted him to serve a full term in the Senate so he could be able to have a longer list of accomplishments. So, what changed my mind? A speech his campaign calls "A More Perfect Union". It was billed as a speech where he would address statements made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but a good chunk of it was spent on racism in this country. He talked about the racist episodes in American history, and how they affect the country to this day. He mentioned how various groups felt and acknowledged that their feelings are not without merit. He talked about so many other things, and during that speech, it hit me: he gets it. He gets how racism and its effects, whether they are overt or subtle, need to be addressed, because it's not Blacks', or Latinos', or Asians', or Native Americans' problem; it's our nation's problem. I truly feel if he is elected, maybe one day, not Nov. 5, not Jan. 21, not 2012, or maybe even 2112, but one day in the future, this country and its people can be truly equal.

Okay, Saturday is the last day for one-stop early voting. After that, the election date is May 6th. I'm not going to tell you whom to vote for, but hopefully you will have considered the candidates I've listed above.