Weekly Wrap: Hurricane overpowers political hot air

First lady Michelle Obama did hold rallies in Raleigh and Charlotte early in the week to urge millennial voters to back Hillary Clinton for president. President Barack Obama follows his wife with a visit to Greensboro next week, days before the voter registration deadline for the election.

WRAL News released a poll this week that showed tight races in North Carolina for president, governor and U.S. senator. A couple of responses could pose problems for Gov. Pat McCrory's re-election campaign. He has been running on a theme of an improved economy under his watch, but only a quarter of those surveyed said they feel they are better off now than four years ago. Also, as McCrory continues to defend House Bill 2, the controversial state law that prohibits anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community, a majority of those polled said they dislike the law, and about 85 percent said they want the law repealed or changed in some way.

Bonuses for state employees took on political overtones. The one-time payments were included in the state budget, but they are going into paychecks that workers will receive in late October – days before the election. Some people have questioned the timing, suggesting the McCrory is trying to win votes from state workers, an allegation his campaign flatly denies.