Free Republic

North Carolina Democrats and African-American leaders are calling on Gov. Pat McCrory (R) to schedule an earlier special election for the seat of former congressman Mel Watt (D-N.C.), who was recently confirmed as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. McCrory has said the special election for the remainder of Watt's term will be held on the regular Election Day, Nov. 4, with the winner serving until the 114th Congress is sworn in early January.

Twelve-year-old Madison Kimrey may not be old enough to vote, but she is determined that North Carolinians should be able to do so without any kind of suppression. more...

Author’s Note: If you are concerned about this kind of spending in higher education, please contact Governor Pat McCrory at http://www.governor.state.nc.us/. His remarks about liberal arts education have been right on target. He gets it. I think the time has come for a line item veto in higher education. The people of North Carolina are being bankrupted by higher education spending that is simply not academic in nature. The problem was once confined to UNC’s flagship campus in Chapel Hill. But now it has spread like a cancer throughout the entire UNC system. For example, this week (February 4-8,...

Associated Press | RALEIGH — Pat McCrory was officially installed as North Carolina’s governor on Saturday, getting sworn in during a low-key, 15-minute ceremony that belied momentous changes marked by new Republican dominance within state government. Chief Justice Sarah Parker administered the oath of office to the former Charlotte mayor shortly after noon Saturday in the House chambers of the old Capitol building. McCrory kept to themes from his campaign of tackling problems and finding concord in brief remarks after becoming the state’s 74th governor. “Our goal was not to get a title. Our goal was to lead and to...

Brant Clifton, writing at his Daily Haymaker blog, had what we think is an excellent explanation for why Lt. Governor Dan Forest is the most feared man in North Carolina politics. You can read what Brant has to say about Forest here: Link

Days after denying interest in a congressional run, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory has opened the door to a rematch with Democratic Gov. Bev. Perdue. In a Q&A with Raleigh's WRAL, McCrory, a Republican, was asked whether he would consider running for governor again or even the Senate. "Yes," he replied. "Running a state-wide race was a great experience (except for election night!!!) and I am proud of the campaign we ran. We participated in (and most believe we won) every debate and proved that a candidate can run an effective, positive campaign. We lived within our fundraising means, didn’t take...

For the fifth time this year, two of the three gubernatorial candidates met for a debate. This time, it was a different two. Republican Pat McCrory and Libertarian Mike Munger debated the economy, health care and education in an hour-long event hosted by UNC-TV, agreeing more than they disagreed. Democrat Beverly Perdue skipped the debate. Though they agreed more than they disagreed during the debate, McCrory and Munger differed on offshore drilling and the death penalty. McCrory argued drilling would lower gas prices eventually, while Munger said it was a gimmick but worth doing anyway. McCrory said he would move...

Lieutenant governor demonstrates she is not ready to lead in a crisisCharlotte, N.C. – During an interview yesterday on WBT Radio in Charlotte, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue advised motorists to get out and “get our gas tanks as full as they’ll let us do it during in the next 24 or 48 hours” due to Hurricane Ike. When questioned by host Al Gardner if this would create a panic, Perdue flip-flopped and said people should not overact and “there is no need for anybody to rush right out.” In sharp contrast, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory demonstrated responsible leadership in an...

In an election for North Carolina Governor today, 07/15/08, Democratic Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue and Republican Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory are effectively tied, according to this latest SurveyUSA election tracking poll conducted exclusively for WTVD-TV in Raleigh. Today, it's Perdue 47%, McCrory 46%, within the survey's 3.8 percentage point margin of sampling error.

Raleigh, N.C. — Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory are neck-and-neck in the North Carolina gubernatorial race, according to a new WRAL News poll. A survey of 500 likely voters on Tuesday by the polling firm Rasmussen Reports showed Perdue, the Democratic nominee, with 47 percent of the vote and McCrory, the Republican nominee, with 46 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Perdue erased the slight lead McCrory held immediately after the state's May 6 primary. In a poll conducted then, McCrory held a 45 to 39 percent...

Mayor McCrory questions art proposals for the future light rail system; others question whether taxpayers should be funding art at all... Charlotte: Charlotteans can add a new phrase to the city's lexicon: "plop art". "Plop art" is Mayor Pat McCrory's not-so-affectionate term for the artwork proposed for the city's South corridor light rail project, scheduled to open in the fall of 2006. The South corridor light rail will be the first of five light rail lines built throughout the city, and will run along a ten-mile corridor from Uptown Charlotte to Interstate 485, just north of Pineville. The Charlotte Area...

The Charlotte City Council potentially trashed a $24 million deal Tuesday night when it unanimously voted to rezone what was once the land of the Hornets. You know, the Charlotte Coliseum that sits out there on Tyvola Road like a giant white elephant the city spent in excess of $100 million to build. The property was supposed to be sold for $24 million, but now nobody’s sure what it will fetch. Last year, Crescent Resources – the development subsidiary of Duke Energy – stepped up to the plate and committed to buying the 154-acre parcel for $24 million as part...

It would have been an interesting race, but Democrat Parks Helms just isn't healthy enough to challenge Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory for his job. After months of speculation, the Mecklenburg County commissioner announced Thursday he will not seek the mayor's office this fall. "I would have enjoyed it," Helms said Thursday night. "I told Pat we'll have a great time." McCrory has not made his re-election bid official, but he said Thursday night he is "taking all the steps necessary" to run for an unprecedented fifth two-year term. "I never make my official announcement until filing in July," McCrory said....

There’s one less Democrat and one more Republican in Mecklenburg County, and the math might just work out to one more Republican on the Charlotte City Council. Long odds on another political calculation might add up to a new Republican mayor. Last week, Optimist Park community activist Linda Williams officially switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. On Monday, former City Councilmember Mike Castano, who has been a Republican since birth, officially announced he was running for mayor, seeking to unseat four-term incumbent Pat McCrory, also a Republican, who might or might not run for another term. McCrory hasn’t...