From The Hotline Latest Edition for Friday, May 2,2008

NORTH CAROLINA

Time To Close The Deal

Fri. May 2, 2008


As the Dem gov. primary "heads toward its finish" 5/6, state Treas. Richard Moore (D) and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue (D) "are trying to energize supporters and win over undecided voters." In a pep talk to volunteers, Moore said: "I'm very proud of both the message and the progress of our campaign. We're right where we need to be to win this thing." In a speech to a crowd at the Robeson County, NC, fairgrounds, Perdue said: "You want this positive campaign that I'm running that's about building people up and not tearing people down." More: "Together we can building a North Carolina that works for everyone" (Robertson, Orangeburg Times and Democrat, 5/2).

Cash Flow

Perdue has "out-raised" Moore by about $900K during the primary campaign. Perdue has raised a total of $7.5M while Moore has received $6.6M. On the GOP side, the four candidates have "collectively" raised "less than" $2.9M (Niolet, Raleigh News & Observer, 5/1).

Refund!

Perdue's camp said 4/30 "that is has returned thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from people associated with the alcohol industry." The decision to return the money "followed revelations that one distributor of wine and liquor tried to raise money for Perdue" by telling colleagues "she was 'vital' to their agenda." The camp returned a total of $5.1K to six sources. Perdue spokesperson David Kochman: "To prevent the appearance of any money being raised from" the distributor's email that said Perdue was vital to their agenda, "we returned all contributions that we found from that industry" (Ingram, Charlotte Observer, 5/1).

Back-Handed Compliments

In front of a "mostly but not all-white audience" at the African-American cultural center in Ashville, NC, "the final debate" among the candidates for the GOP nod for gov. played out. The candidates "followed" state Sen. Fred Smith's (R) lead. In assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory (R), Smith said: "Mayor Pat is without a doubt one of the slickest, coolest guys I know. I mean, he is Teflon Man. If I had to pick somebody to go sell something for me, I'd like to hire him to sell my houses." In reply, McCrory said: "I think that's a compliment" (Schrader, Ashville Citizen-Times, 5/2).

Fighting Back

Trying to defend himself from negative attacks, McCrory has a 60-second radio ad playing in Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh and Wilmighton. The ad's message: "McCrory has stayed positive, while Smith has gone negative. McCrory has managed Charlotte well, while Smith is tied to big spending increases and contract overruns" (Charlotte Observer, 5/2).