State Sen. Harris Blake and state Rep. Jamie Boles are gearing up for re-election bids this year.

Boles will be seeking his second term, Blake his fifth term. Both are Republican.

Blake said he is especially enthusiastic about the 2010 campaign, which he sees as an ideal opportunity for Republicans to reign in the Senate. It has been about 130 years, during Reconstruction, since that happened.

"We have a real chance to take the Senate this time," Blake said in a telephone interview.

Blake points to decisions by several Senate Democrats not to seek re-election this year. He thinks this is a good time for changes in districts served by Democrats Charles Albertson of Duplin County, Tony Rand of Cumberland County, Doug Berger of Franklin County, David Hoyle of Gaston County, R.C. Soles Jr. of Columbus County and David Weinstein of Robeson County

RETREAT - The two Moore County Republicans attended the seventh annual North Carolina Legislators Retreat at the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst Jan. 11-12.

Boles said the agenda on "Smart Decisions in Tough Times: Keeping the Focus on Students" covered four key areas: high-quality standards and assessments, comprehensive data systems that provide accurate and useful information to drive student achievement, effective teachers and principals, and support for low performing schools.

Joining the retreat were Colorado Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien; Jon Schnur, CEO and co-founder of New Leaders for New Schools; Dr. Bill Harrison, chairman of the State Board of Education; and Dr. June Atkinson, state superintendent of public instruction. Gov. Bev Perdue shared her vision of education at the luncheon session.

"It was very informative," Blake said. "There were a lot of ideas relating to education. I liked that."

PINEBLUFF GOP - Republicans in Pinebluff precinct will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, at the Lions Club on West Philadelphia Avenue in Pinebluff.

The purpose of the meeting is election of delegates and alternates to the county convention to be held March 13.

All Republicans living in Pinebluff precinct are encouraged to attend, according to a notice from the Moore County Republican Party.

COBLE - Congressman Howard Coble and three of his North Carolina GOP colleagues have sent a letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her not to burden North Carolinians with more than a billion dollars in new Medicaid costs.

The letter also asks her to make sure that the state is treated equally in the final version of the bills.

"So, North Carolina, already facing a massive budget shortfall, is expected to shoulder a greater share of Medicaid costs, while sweetheart deals are handed out to states such as Nebraska and Louisiana," Coble said of the proposed health-care reform bill. "This is patently unfair and probably unconstitutional. I urge the speaker to kill this backroom deal and restore fairness to the process."

Fellow members of Congress signing the letter were Walter Jones of the 3rd District, Patrick McHenry of the 10th District and Rep. Sue Myrick of the 9th District, all Republicans.

Gov. Beverly Perdue did not sign the letter but is on record echoing some of the same sentiments.

"North Carolina, as many other states, really doesn't have the money for unfunded mandates," Perdue told the Greensboro News & Record. "It's going to be very hard for us to pick up (an estimated 350,000 to 500,000) new Medicaid patients unless we have some more help from the federal government."

Contact Florence Gilkison at (910) 693-2479 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.