North Carolina governor won't seek re-election

RALEIGH, N.C. Facing steep odds and a nasty campaign as one of a nations most endangered Democrats, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue announced Thursday she is abandoning her re-election bid.Perdues departure shocked a North Carolina political establishment, coming as a surprise to top Democrats and even her staff just 15 weeks before a May primary election.In a statement, Perdue said she wants to focus on improving state education funding and her "re-election will only further politicize a fight." "Therefore, I am announcing today that I have decided not to seek re-election," she continued. "I hope this decision will open a door to an honest and bipartisan effort to help our schools."The opening at a top of a Democratic ticket holds inhabitant implications and creates a scramble to find a strong replacement in a political swing state that will host a Democratic National Convention and play a key role in President Barack Obamas re-election effort.Obama issued a statement praising Perdue, a states first female governor, and congratulating her on her historic tenure. "Bev Perdue has never been afraid to break barriers," Obama said.Perdue, one of three Democratic state executives in a South, will be a first North Carolina governor to serve one term since gubernatorial succession was instituted in a 1970s.For months, Perdue maintained she would seek a second term, hiring five campaign staff members and raising money, even amid sinking poll numbers and a ongoing criminal cases against three campaign associates related to fundraising from her 2008 campaign.Perdue associates insisted that her decision was not linked to any legal concerns or any pressure from a Obama administration.But a weak state economy didnt help her fortunes. North Carolinas unemployment rate was 9.9 percent in December above a inhabitant average and virtually unchanged from a year ago.A recent survey of likely voters from Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm, showed that half of those polled viewed her unfavorably, making Perdue one of ! a most u npopular governors in a nation. A hypothetical matchup with likely Republican nominee Pat McCrory, a former Charlotte mayor, put her behind by 11 points. A litany of political observers consistently have ranked Perdue as one of a most vulnerable Democrats in a 2012 election.Perdue beat McCrory in 2008 by a closest margin in a governors competition since 1972, outspending him substantially. But her re-election campaign couldnt match her previous fundraising benchmarks, and some top donors began defecting to McCrory.Both candidates reported about $2 million in money at a start of a year. Its unclear what Perdue will do with her money. In her announcement Thursday, Perdue said she enjoys fighting for her causes and doesnt "back down from tough fights." But as it became harder to raise money in recent months and her poll numbers worsened, Perdue, who turned 65 on Jan. 14, began to have second thoughts in recent weeks, according to campaign associates and friends.As a election neared, it became evident that third-party groups associated with a Republican Governors Association and other conservative organizations were poised to spend millions of dollars in personal attack ads that questioned Perdues ethics and her family. And earlier this month, Perdue and her campaign became rattled after a crowd at a University of North Carolina basketball game in Chapel Hill booed when she was introduced at halftime, friends said."I noticed a other day she looked tired on TV," said Kaye Gattis, chief of staff when Perdue was North Carolinas lieutenant governor, from 2000-2008. "Its a tough environment right now."With a odds against her, Perdue could only win with an onslaught of negative ads attacking McCrory. And even amid a mudslinging, there was still a strong chance she would lose.The governor spent a weekend re-evaluating her campaign, a friend said. She felt she could still win. Her campaign expelled a memo Thursday from her pollster that showed her only behind six points and which said that McCrorys support was "exce! ptionall y soft." "There was a path to victory a narrow path and she would have had to thread a needle and have a harmonious convergence," said Ken Eudy, a former state Democratic Party chairman and Perdue fundraiser.Powered By iWebRSS.co.cc