ACCLAIMED HISTORIAN DR. JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN AND BEST SELLING AUTHOR FRANCES MAYES HEADLINE DELLINGER EVENT

Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in the World, and Duke historian Dr. John Hope Franklin, who recently received the Kluge Prize and celebrated his 92nd birthday, headlined a reception for Hampton Dellinger, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

"Historian John Hope Franklin and author Frances Mayes are North Carolinians of worldwide renown and I am grateful for their support," said Dellinger, former Chief Legal Counsel for Gov. Mike Easley and a Deputy Attorney General.

In addition to Franklin and Mayes, Dellinger's father, constitutional scholar and appellate advocate Walter Dellinger, also spoke.

Earlier in January, Charlotte City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess hosted a reception in support of Dellinger's campaign. In addition to Burgess, Charlotte hosts included Mecklenburg County Commissioner Norman Mitchell, Soil and Water Conservation supervisor Gray Newman, Ambassador Mark Erwin, former Mecklenburg County Young Democrat Chair Pam Bennett, former City Council member Betty Chafin Rash, Democratic party stalwarts such as Clarice Cato Goodyear, Jill Dinwiddie and Johnny Taylor, and business leaders such as Lawrence Baxter (who served as Wachovia's chief eCommerce Officer), TIAA-CREF's Carranza Pryor and Keith A. Smith, Senior Vice President for CarolinasHealthCare System.

Winston-Salem supporters held a reception for Dellinger at the Piedmont Club. Hosts include former Court of Appeals Judge Loretta Biggs, funeral director Cedric Russell, former U.S. Attorney Walter Holton, internist John Card, business leader James Lambie, and private sector attorneys Alison Ashe-Card, Betty Quick, Cliff Britt and Tom Comerford.

Dellinger's supporters also include Durham Mayor Bill Bell, Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Janice McKenzie Cole, Dr. Nolo Martinez who served as Director of Hispanic/Latino Affairs in the Governor's Office, former Director of the Governor's Western Office Jerry Sutton, and coastal environmentalist Joan Weld.

"I am pleased with the support my campaign is receiving from well-regarded government, business, and community leaders across the state," Dellinger said.