North Carolina's Marshall will challenge GOP's Burr for Senate

Marshall, a former state senator, was first elected secretary of state in 1996, when she defeated NASCAR legend Richard Petty. She was the first woman elected to statewide executive office. In 2002, she unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Durham, N.C., lawyer Kenneth Lewis is the only other announced Democratic candidate.

For months, political observers have wondered who would challenge Burr, a first-term senator whose name recognition lags across the state. Senate Democrats consider Burr prime for picking off next year, but they’ve had a hard time recruiting a candidate.

Prominent state Democrats, including Attorney General Roy Cooper and former Gov. Mike Easley, along with U.S .Rep. Brad Miller of Raleigh, all passed on the chance.