Posted on 01/10/2004 6:41:45 AM PST by jern
Republican candidates for governor on Friday pummeled Gov. Mike Easley's record of raising taxes, expanding government and, in their view, doing too little to prevent thousands of jobs from disappearing during his three years in office.
In a joint appearance to air tonight on the WRAL-TV/News & Observer program "Headline Saturday," the six major GOP candidates also offered some solutions of their own:
* Former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, who lost to Easley in 2000, said he wants to lower the corporate income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 5 percent, eliminate taxes on manufacturers and force state agencies to purchase goods and services from North Carolina businesses whenever possible.
* State Sen. Patrick Ballantine of Wilmington said he wants to lower the corporate rate and repeal the capital gains tax.
* Former Republican Party Chairman Bill Cobey of Durham said he wants to remove or lessen regulations that stop companies from creating jobs in North Carolina.
* State Sen. Fern Shubert of Union County said she wants to get rid of some of the special-interest tax breaks that she thinks riddle the state tax code.
Virtually all the candidates offered the same solution to the state's ongoing economic woes: lower taxes to improve the business climate.
"I think we're all singing out of the same hymn book, essentially," Vinroot said. "We need to reduce the burden of government."
And most criticized Easley for taking too low a profile when it comes to attracting industry to the state.
"They might as well put a vacancy sign out in front of the mansion right now," Cobey said.
Easley political consultant Mac McCorkle declined to comment on the criticisms until after seeing the half-hour program.
Davie County Commissioner Dan Barrett accused the governor of robbing local governments of badly needed revenue when Easley diverted local aid two years ago to help balance the state budget.
Moore County insurance broker and longtime Republican fund-raiser George Little said Easley must do more to attract business. Little said his own 39 years of business experience would instantly improve the business climate in this state.
"The sign will then say: North Carolina is open for business," he said.
Shubert blamed the state's burgeoning population of immigrants, some of them illegal, on the Easley administration's management of the state Division of Motor Vehicles, which she said has developed a reputation as one of the easiest on the East Coast for obtaining a driver's license.
"If you're in this country illegally, come to North Carolina because we will give you identification when other states won't," Shubert said.
Easley announced last week that his administration will stiffen licensing requirements next month, but only after years of criticism from Republicans.
Republicans have good reason to go after Easley: His popularity ratings remain solid. In a poll conducted for The News & Observer from Jan. 5 through Jan. 8, 53 percent of likely voters said they rate the governor's job performance as excellent or good. Three in four said if the election were today, they would elect Easley to a second term or consider another candidate.
Candidates also have good reason to focus on the economy. According to the poll, the economy and job creation top the list of the most important issues facing North Carolina.
Republicans have work to do to distinguish themselves, however. Vinroot is at the front of the pack, with 27 percent of likely Republican voters saying they would vote for him in the GOP primary.
Ballantine and Cobey captured 16 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
But the other three candidates captured voting percentages in the low single digits, according to the poll, which was conducted by Research 2000, a nonpartisan polling firm.
The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, but the margin for the questions aimed just at Republican voters was plus or minus 7.2 points. Six hundred likely voters were interviewed.
Staff writer Amy Gardner can be reached at 829-8902 or agardner@newsobserver.com.
If the 2004 election for governor were held today, would you vote to re-elect Mike Easley, would you consider voting for another candidate or would you vote to replace Easley?
46% Re-elect
30% Consider another candidate
24% Replace
If the Republican primary election for governor were held today, which of the following candidates would you vote for?
Vinroot 27%
Ballentine 16%
Cobey 14%
Barrett 3%
Shubert 2%
Undecided 38%
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia |
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10.00 |
1 |
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But the Republican nominee will have a ways to go to make his case and get his message out, and might not have much time if the primaries are pushed back.
I'm not sure if Barrett or Shubert have enough time to raise their poll numbers. I think it depends how soft Vinroot's 27% is. I guess we'll see in February, or whenever the next poll comes out, and in the Meck GOP straw poll -- if he can't win in Charlotte, he's toast.
He raised taxes a lot.
He crashed a race car at Lowe's Motorspeedway.
He discontinued the tradition of letting kids trick-or-treat at the Governor's mansion.
He wanted a lottery but didn't get it.
He showed up for a photo op after the hurricane.
That's all I can remember -- the man puts me to sleep, he's so dull.
Let me or MYkdsmom or Constitution Day know if you want on or off the NCPing list or if you think you've been accidentally dropped or .... Sure we do, but Walter Jones, Jr. isn't running.
Gov. Sanford Unveils 2004-05 Executive Budget "DIFFERENT APPROACH" CRITICAL TO CHARTING A NEW FISCAL COURSE FOR SOUTH CAROLINAVinroot has proven himself unelectable; He wins the primary on name recognition, then loses the general election. Fern Schubert would be awesome: smart, organized, honest, and conservative. Barrett would be great, too.
Columbia, S.C. - January 8, 2004 - Governor Mark Sanford today unveiled the first executive budget of his administration, a balanced, $5.1 billion, 301-page spending plan built around structural reform, efficiencies to the taxpayer, targeted prioritization of resources, sale of non-essential state assets, selected privatization, a dramatic reduction in annualizations and a commitment not to raise taxes.
Cobey will probably win the primary, though. I think he will be fine, he's solidly a social conservative, but he doesn't have the dynamic spark needed to fix this state.
See, you do know who he is!
He'd clean up in Democrat eastern NC and take out Easley 55-45.
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