RALEIGH – Now that we’ve entered the final weeks of the political cycle, it’s getting harder to keep up with all the interesting news stories, candidate comments, accusations, attack ads, and poll results.

Here at Carolina Journal, we’re doing our best to keep you informed about the major political events and developments of the day. Our summary of daily headlines and opinion pieces, updated each weekday morning, is a good place to start. Over at The Locker Room, I supplement the CJO coverage by providing as many links as I can find to major happenings in the races for U.S. Senate and North Carolina governor.

Periodically, my “Daily Journal” column will be a roundup of campaign high-and-low points, along with a few personal comments. Today is one of those days. So . . .

• Although I doubt the presidential contest in North Carolina will turn on it, Barack Obama’s decision to comment on the immigration/community college issue surprises me. His campaign has generally maintained a disciplined message and avoided risks. I have no doubt that Obama believes illegal immigrants should be allowed to enrolled in state colleges, and certainly I would prefer candidates to be direct and outspoken so voters can accurately judge their intentions, but given the manifest unpopularity of this proposed policy in North Carolina, I never expected him to offer an extended comment on it.

Good for him! I want to hear more, not less, of what candidates really think. But he’s mistaken on the issue.

• Pat McCrory continues to outperform the base Republican vote this year. Even as John McCain’s and Elizabeth Dole’s numbers have weakened in recent polls, enough to put their Democratic opponents ahead in some of them, McCrory has gained. The latest PPP survey put him at 44 percent, to 41 percent for Beverly Perdue and 5 percent for Mike Munger. He’s been aided mightily by his home address, contrary to all the “Charlotte curse” blather, as well as public disaffection with Mike Easley and the status quo in Raleigh. Come Election Day, there may well be a good chunk of swing voters who opt for Obama, Kay Hagan, and Pat McCrory. Forget about “the change we need” or “change is coming.” The message will be “change everything and everybody – right now!”

• Robin Hayes is the Republican incumbent in North Carolina’s most closely watched House race. He voted against the bailout bill. Heath Shuler is a Democratic incumbent in a historically Republican district. He voted against the bailout bill. Smart guys.

• Perdue is putting a lot of stock in her school-voucher attack on McCrory. In addition to being based on fallacious reasoning and faulty math, it just doesn’t fit the rhythm of the race. McCrory’s education message is largely about vocational education and the college-is-magical assumptions of North Carolina’s longtime education establishment. He devotes far less attention to proposals for fostering choice and competition (unfortunately), so Perdue is arguing against a candidate she doesn’t actually face in this election. His name? Richard Vinroot, who was attacked eight years ago on the same grounds by the same political consultant, Mac McCorkle, then working for Easley.

Vinroot really was a passionate supporter of parental choice in education. Plus, he’s really, really tall and gray haired. McCrory is average height, with dark hair and glasses. It’s not that hard to tell the two Charlotte mayors apart.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation.