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 County results Precinct resultsPerdue: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% McCrory: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tie: 40–50% 50% | |||||||||||||||||
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The2008 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2008, coinciding with thepresidential,U.S. Senate,U.S. House elections,Council of State andstatewide judicial elections. DemocratBev Perdue won the election.[1] With a margin of 3.39%, this election was the closest race of the2008 gubernatorial election cycle. This was the first time that the same party that was elected governor won the concurrent presidential race since 1988. This was the first time Democrats did so since 1976.
Because incumbent GovernorMike Easley wasterm-limited, the open-seat race was contested between DemocratBeverly Perdue, RepublicanPat McCrory, and LibertarianMichael Munger. Likewise, DemocratWalter H. Dalton, RepublicanRobert Pittenger, and Libertarian Phillip Rhodes vied to replace term-limited Lieutenant Governor Perdue.
Candidates Richard Moore, Dennis Nielsen, Robert Orr, and Bev Perdue took part in a forum on January 26, sponsored by the state chapter of theNAACP.[3]
The statewide syndicated TV program,NC Spin, held debates for both parties' candidates in April.[4]
Moore and Nielsen appeared on the edition ofNC Spin broadcast April 13 on most stations, but Perdue declined the invitation to participate.[8] Perdue and Moore met for their final pre-primary debate atWRAL-TV, which was broadcast on several stations across the state on April 22.[9]
On May 6, 2008, Perdue won the Democratic nomination for governor, defeating State Treasurer Moore and Nielsen.[10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bev Perdue | 840,342 | 56.21% | |
| Democratic | Richard H. Moore | 594,028 | 39.73% | |
| Democratic | Dennis Nielsen | 60,628 | 4.06% | |
| Total votes | 1,494,998 | 100.00% | ||
The RaleighNews & Observer reported on January 9, 2008, that McCrory had filed the necessary paperwork with the State Board of Elections to run for governor.[18] He announced that he was running in his hometown of Jamestown on January 15, 2008.[19]
Republican candidates Graham, Orr, and Smith held their first debate on October 20, 2007, atHigh Point University.[20] The two Democratic candidates held their first debate at the annual conference of the N.C. School Boards Association on Nov. 6, 2007, which hosted a Republican candidates' debate the same day.[21][22]
UNC-TV invited the three announced Republican candidates and two announced Democratic candidates to participate in the campaign's first debates (officially called "forums") to air on statewide television. Each forum is intended to focus on a single topic: on Jan. 10, the state's economy; on Feb. 7, health care; and on April 24, education.[23] Video of the forums is available on theUNC-TV website.
The Republican candidates, now joined by new challengerPat McCrory, debated onWRAL-TV on January 17. The debate was also broadcast on stations in Charlotte and Wilmington.[24]
McCrory, Orr, Graham, and Smith met in a televised debate held byWTVI in Charlotte on April 3. Media accounts said that McCrory was the primary target of attacks by his rivals.[25] The same was true at anotherWRAL-TV debate, held on April 15.[26]
The final Republican debate before the primary was held in Asheville, and featured the only appearance by Elbie Powers in a debate.[27]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pat McCrory | 232,818 | 46.11% | |
| Republican | Fred Smith | 186,843 | 37.00% | |
| Republican | Bill Graham | 46,861 | 9.28% | |
| Republican | Robert F. Orr | 34,007 | 6.73% | |
| Republican | E. Powers | 4,444 | 0.88% | |
| Total votes | 504,973 | 100.00% | ||
If he had been elected, McCrory would have been the first mayor of Charlotte to win the state's highest office.[29]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[30] | Tossup | October 16, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[31] | Tossup | November 2, 2008 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[32] | Lean D | November 3, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics[33] | Tossup | November 4, 2008 |
Despite a "national Democratic tide" and Perdue's fundraising edge,[34] McCrory led Perdue at first; Perdue slowly gained with help fromBarack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate.[35] Perdue and McCrory remained close, with the two often polling in a statistical tie[34] in what was the closest race for governor in the nation.[36] Perdue ran slightly behind her opponent in polls released the week before the election.[34] Pundits speculated that Perdue was hurt by current Democratic GovernorMike Easley's decreasing popularity due to the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Crisis, and McCrory's efforts to tag her as part of corruption inRaleigh—consultants mentioned Perdue's "difficulty of being the candidate of continuity in a change election."[35]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Bev Perdue (D) | Pat McCrory (R) | Michael Munger (L) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[37] | October 31 – November 2, 2008 | 2,100 (LV) | ± 2.1% | 49% | 48% | 2% | 1% |
| Public Policy Polling[38] | October 18–19, 2008 | 1,200 (LV) | ± 2.8% | 48% | 44% | 4% | 5% |
| Public Policy Polling[39] | October 11–12, 2008 | 1,196 (LV) | ± 2.8% | 45% | 44% | 4% | 7% |
| Public Policy Polling[40] | October 4–5, 2008 | 1,202 (LV) | ± 2.8% | 46% | 43% | 4% | 7% |
| Public Policy Polling[40] | October 4–5, 2008 | 1,041 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 41% | 44% | 5% | 10% |
| Public Policy Polling[41] | September 17–19, 2008 | 1,060 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 44% | 43% | 6% | 7% |
| Public Policy Polling[42] | August 20–23, 2008 | 904 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 43% | 38% | 4% | 15% |
| Public Policy Polling[43] | July 23–27, 2008 | 823 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 46% | 37% | 6% | 11% |
| Public Policy Polling[44] | June 26–29, 2008 | 1,048 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 42% | 41% | 5% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling[45] | May 28–29, 2008 | 543 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 43% | 39% | 4% | 14% |
| Public Policy Polling[46] | May 8–9, 2008 | 616 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 45% | 45% | - | 9% |
| Public Policy Polling[47] | February 18, 2008 | 720 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 41% | 41% | - | 18% |
| Public Policy Polling[48] | January 21, 2008 | 809 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 41% | 39% | - | 20% |
| Public Policy Polling[49] | December 12, 2007 | 457 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 41% | 39% | - | 20% |
Early in 2008, Libertarian nominee Munger called Perdue a "Stepford Wife" and said the Republican nominees were "circus clowns."[50] Prior to May 2008, the North Carolina Libertarian Party and Munger gathered 100,000 signatures of voters in order to qualify to appear on North Carolina's ballot. They, along with theGreen Party, sued the state unsuccessfully over the ballot access rules. Munger appeared as one of two keynote speakers at the national Libertarian convention inDenver in May 2008.[51]
WhenHillary Clinton dropped out of the2008 presidential electionThe New York Times mentioned Perdue as a potential pick for Obama's vice president.[52]
Munger called himself "the onlyliberal in the race."[53] Munger took moresocially liberal positions on many issues than Democratic candidate Perdue. "One reason I haven't been allowed in all the debates is that I'm taking votes from theDemocrats. Sixty percent of my supporters are voting for Obama. I'll talk aboutgay marriage, and Perdue isn't, or doesn't want to."[54] While Democratic candidate Perdue took a hard line onillegal immigration similar to that ofRepublicanPat McCrory, Munger took a position more aligned withBarack Obama.[55]
Perdue raised $15 million and ran attack ads against McCrory, criticizing him for not being tough enough onillegal immigration.[36]
In October 2008, McCrory received the endorsement of most major newspapers in the state, which typically endorse Democrats.[56] McCrory's candidacy for governor was endorsed by theRaleigh News and Observer,[57]The Charlotte Observer,[58] theGreensboro News & Record,[59] theWinston-Salem Journal,[60] and theUNC-Chapel HillDaily Tar Heel.[61]
Perdue received the endorsement of actor and directorAndy Griffith, who filmed a campaign ad on her behalf.[62]
Perdue defeated McCrory and Munger on November 4, 2008, to win the election.
The first general election debate between Perdue and McCrory was a forum at the North Carolina Bar Association meeting inAtlantic Beach on June 21.[63] The first debate between the two that was televised live was conducted byWTVD on August 19.[64][65] Another televised debate was held byWRAL-TV on September 9.[66] Next, McCrory and Perdue met for a debate on education issues atSAS Institute on September 19. The debate was sponsored by business and education groups and was covered byNews 14 Carolina.[67][68][69]
Duke University professor andLibertarian candidateMichael Munger made history as the first third-party candidate to participate in a live, televised gubernatorial debate in North Carolina.[51] He made his first debate appearance with McCrory on September 24 atUNC-TV. Perdue declined to participate in that debate.[70] All three candidates debated for the first time on October 15, in the final debate before the general election.[71] The hour-long debate, sponsored byWTVI,WSOC-TV and theLeague of Women Voters, aired in several television markets.[72]
Analysts said that McCrory tended to perform better than Perdue in the debates, particularly in "sit-down debates that allowed more back-and-forth between the candidates."[73]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bev Perdue | 2,146,189 | 50.27% | −5.34% | |
| Republican | Pat McCrory | 2,001,168 | 46.88% | +4.00% | |
| Libertarian | Michael C. Munger | 121,584 | 2.85% | +1.34% | |
| Majority | 145,021 | 3.40% | −9.34% | ||
| Turnout | 4,268,941 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
Primaries
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