Democrat Clodfelter: 'Disafilliate me!'

State Sen. Dan Clodfelter, a Charlotte Democrat, wasn't in a particularly good mood Saturday when he sent this email to the state Party:

"Subject: Disaffiliation

"...please remove me from all membership rosters, e-mail lists, contribution solicitation lists, and any other associations with NCDP.

"My wife informs me that Jerry [Meek] has today publicly endorsed Obama for president. I do not wish to be associated with the party in consequence of this endorsement."

Clodfelter says his aim was to get his name off mass email lists, including those of the party. But he also had a moment of pique following Meek's endorsement of Barack Obama. Meek, a superdelegate, made the endorsement after Obama's 14-point victory in last week's N.C. primary.

"He should have stayed neutral until all the primaries are done," Clodfelter says. "He’s the state chairman."

Clodfelter supports Obama's rival, Hillary Clinton.

N.C. presidential debate finally set?

Sen. Hillary Clinton has accepted an invitation to debate in North Carolina on April 27. The debate will be held in Charlotte or Raleigh.

Her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, hadn't responded to the invitation but had agreed to an earlier request to debate in the state.

“We had proposed a debate in North Carolina before the 22nd of April," said Obama spokesman Dan Leistikow. "Apparently, the Clinton folks vetoed that. We haven’t made a decision whether the later date fits into our schedule.”

The N.C. Democratic Party and CBS News today formally invited the candidates to debate either at the N.C. Blumenthal Center in Charlotte or at N.C. State University.

The move comes weeks after CBS proposed an April 19 debate in the state. The Obama campaign accepted. The Clinton campaign never committed.

The proposed debate would come four days after the Pennsylvania primary and 10 days before North Carolina's contest.

"We're working closely with both the campaigns, and while we don't have commitments yet we're very hopeful and excited about the possibility of a debate in North Carolina," said state party spokeswoman Kerra Bolton.

The invitations, signed by party chairman Jerry Meek and CBS News President Sean McManus, come a week after a group of Charlotte-area college presidents invited the candidates to debate at the Blumenthal.

Politics and wedding bells

Some men ask a woman's parents for her hand in marriage. Jerry Meek had to check with her campaign manager as well.

Meek, North Carolina's Democratic Party chairman, has become engaged to Tricia Cotham, a Democratic legislator from Charlotte.

Meek, of Fayetteville, got down on one knee when he popped the question Friday night at a cabin in Bryson City. He planned the weekend get-away only after clearing the schedule with Cotham's campaign manager.

Cotham, 29, is the state's youngest legislator. Meek, 37, is one of if not the nation's youngest party chairman.

The two started dating last summer, a few months after Cotham won a special election to fill the seat of disgraced Speaker Jim Black. Now she faces a primary on May 6 and, if she wins, a Republican challenge in November.

All that, plus the General Assembly's schedule, makes it hard to set a wedding date.

"So I have a little different things to think about than the average bride," she said this morning.

The romance, which the two kept secret for months, may explain his frequent recent appearances in Charlotte as much as his role in resolving the recent local party turmoil.

Cotham says she plans to continue living in her district, which covers east Charlotte and part of Matthews. She also has an apartment in Raleigh where Meek works as chairman.