Raleigh--Rachel Lea Hunter and Vernon Robinson have a lot in common: both are perennial candidates, both seem to have a loose relationship with the truth, and both have had public feuds with the North Carolina Republican Party.

Vernon Robinson, who is the Republican nominee in the 13th Congressional District, has shown himself to be one of the most vile politicians in the nation, running campaigns full of fear-mongering and fabrications. Luckily, voters have regularly rejected him for the many elected positions he has sought.

Rachel Lea Hunter ran as a Republican for the State Supreme Court in 2004 and was defeated. After a falling out with the North Carolina Republican Party, Hunter switched her party registration to Democrat in 2005. She filed to run for a non-partisan State Supreme Court seat this year and will be on the November 7th ballot.

Today, Rachel Lea Hunter compared Vernon Robinson to a slave in a mass email and on her website.

In response, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jerry Meek made this statement: "Vernon Robinson is an embarrassment to himself and to the many well-meaning people of both parties who hear the call to public service and run for office. Between now and November, he will run his campaign of sleaze and I am confident that voters will again reject him. However, today Rachel Lea Hunter crossed the line. Her characterization of Robinson as a 'slave' was reprehensible and I call on her to apologize. This racial epithet has no place in any political dialogue, even directed towards someone as contemptible as Vernon Robinson."

"Consequently, I am announcing today that I will recommend that the State Democratic Party leadership withhold any endorsement in the Supreme Court seat that Rachel Lea Hunter is seeking. Today's incident was one of many that have shown that Rachel Lea Hunter lacks the judgment and temperament necessary for a Supreme Court Justice. Instead, I will recommend that the State Democratic Party leadership support and endorse these longtime Democrats running in the statewide judicial elections: Chief Justice Sarah Parker, Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, Judge Robin Hudson, Judge Robert Hunter, and Judge Linda Stephens. We will do all we can within the law to help them get elected."