Although North Carolina was a top battleground in the 2008 presidential race, the swing state appears to be far from the front lines in the battle for the House in 2010. With the political winds blowing in the GOP's favor, national Republicans have pursued an aggressive strategy to win back conservative seats in the midterm elections, especially in Southern states. The National Republican Congressional Committee put Blue Dog Democrats on notice early this cycle that they would be targeted and has since touted recruiting victories in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and even Maryland. But with the candidate filing deadline passed, it's become clear that the Tar Heel State has the potential to became an afterthought on the playing field of competitive House races.

Georgia may be equally unexciting in terms of competitive races, but the filing deadline in the Peach State is still a month and a half off. There are no North Carolina recruits listed among the 31 candidates who have reached the top two levels of the NRCC's much-touted "Young