A slate of Democrats and one Republican have signed on to challenge U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who has been a staunch supporter of President Bush and the war.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones, who has switched from a pro-war stance to being more critical, has an experienced challenger in the Republican primary.

Odds favor both Jones and Dole returning to Washington. Incumbent congressmen are rarely defeated. More than 97 percent of the U.S. House members who ran for re-election in 2006 prevailed.

The incumbents also have more political experience. Of the six other people running for Dole's office, only one has ever won election to anything. Her Republican challenger, Pete DiLauro, lost a town board race last fall.

N.C. Sen. Kay Hagan is the best-known Democrat running, especially since her TV ads began running this month.

Her closest competitor is Jim Neal, who has raised funds for statewide races, including Erskine Bowles' unsuccessful Senate run in 2004. He is trying to become the first openly gay candidate to win statewide election here.

Jones' Republican challenger, Joe McLaughlin, has twice won an Onslow County commissioner seat. He has been campaigning since 2007 as a "true conservative" and a supporter for the military troops in Iraq.