Smith said Monday he didn't recall making such a statement.
"I never really met her," he said. "They just took our picture."
An endorsement from Smith could carry weight in some circles. He won 879 games in his 36 seasons at North Carolina, the most in NCAA Division I history, and won two national championships. He has supported a few causes in North Carolina in recent years, speaking out against the lottery and advocating for a moratorium on executions. He has occasionally endorsed political candidates, including University of North Carolina system president Erskine Bowles, who ran two losing campaigns for Senate.
Smith's assistant, Ruth Kirkendall, said the people who administer the Web site told her Sunday night they planned to remove the reference to Smith, but it remained there Monday evening. She also said they had apologized.
"I think it's just a big error," Kirkendall said.
But a statement from Hunter e-mailed to The Associated Press said she would not apologize because the Web site never said that Smith endorsed her.
"The statement said that I had met Dean Smith. I did. He told me a story about Andy Griffith and politics and we took the picture and moved on. I did not say that he endorsed me," Hunter said.
Hunter, who has never been a judge, is challenging incumbent Associate Justice Mark Martin in a nonpartisan race for an eight-year term. She was a registered Republican when she ran for state Supreme Court in 2004, but switched parties after a falling out with the GOP.
The state Board of Elections in February ruled against Hunter's request to appear on the ballot with the nickname "Madame Justice," a moniker Hunter has said she adopted in 1998.
Elections director Gary Bartlett wrote to Hunter saying that the name would mislead voters. Sitting and former justices often use such a title, Bartlett said.
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On the Net:
Rachel Lea Hunter campaign: http://www.rachelforjustice.com
My last statement caused a bit of a stir among the media and others. We have a presumption in law that paragraph headings are not to be taken as the text of the statute itself and they are not controlling. So too are the headings on my website. They are there to get attention but the readers are encouraged to READ the statement.
So Rachael, what is the definition of is?
Cripes, have you taken a look at her web site?!
I find it hard to believe that she was ever a Republican - even a moderate or liberal one.
Her site has the feel of pure Loony-Left politics - especially the part where she says she supports Cindy Sheehan.
Yikes!
Is she as big of a nutcase as she seems?
I mean, really. Her site is just over the top.