We already know that Duke Energy sponsored Pat will be the Grand Old Party's choice.

Names floating around on the Democratic side include:

Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton
State Rep. Bill Faison
Former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx
Congressman and Community College caucus founder Brad Miller
Congressman Mike Mcintyre
Congressman Heath Shuler
Attorney General Roy Cooper
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall
Former State Treasurer Richard Moore
Lawyer Hampton Dellinger
Lawyer and Paste Senate Candidate Ken Lewis
Past Senate Candidate Jim Neal
Former Congressman Bob Etheridge
Winston Councilman Dan Besse
Winston Mayor Allen Joines
State Treasurer Janet Cowell
US Army Reserve Captain Cal Cunningham
Rep. Tricia Cotham
Rep. Deborah Ross
State Auditor Beth Wood
Rep. Pricey Harrison
Rep. Diane Parfitt
Rep. Earline Parmon
Rep. Susi Hamilton
Rep. Linda Garrou
State Senator Dan Blue
Rep. Rick Glazier
Wake County State Senator & Minority Whip Josh Stein
Former Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker

That's not a comprehensive list of possibilities, nor are many of these people likely to enter the race, these are just names I've seen publicly suggested since the announcement that this primary will be wide open. The filing period is February 13-29 so we should know who all is actually going to throw their hat in pretty soon.

[Edited on January 27, 2012 at 10:19 PM. Reason : .]

1/27/2012 10:15:48 PM

When is TWW going to put up a candidate?

1/27/2012 11:07:52 PM

begonias and Sayer have been getting some press lately.

1/27/2012 11:39:03 PM

I think a Meeker vs McCrory election could be fun if for no other reason than the Raleigh > Charlotte or Charlotte < Raleigh debate.

1/29/2012 4:26:59 PM

Unless the Presidential nominating race wraps up soon, I imagine the NC Democratic primary will have super-low turnout.

1/29/2012 5:49:31 PM

^ ?

1/30/2012 12:29:30 AM

Sen. Garrou ain't running for the governorship.

Of those on the list who have stated their intentions:

Roy Cooper isn't running, Janet Cowell isn't running.

So far the announced candidates are Dalton and Faison.

1/30/2012 12:38:42 AM

Public Policy Polling did some polling of how well people would do in the general election. Here are top 5 against Pat, along with their favorability ratings among Democrats which gives a sense of how well they might do in the primary.

Erskine Bowles +38
Kay Hagan +40
Richard Moore +27
Brad Miller +24
Walter Dalton +8

They pointed out that name recognition is a big factor at this point, and that the polls would narrow as the general approached. Oh, and for Faison (who is doing about as well as Charles Meeker in a hypothetical match up with Pat).

Bill Faison -5
Charles Meeker +14

1/30/2012 10:37:37 PM

I feel like if its Bowles, he is destined to lose

has to be a male, imo

[Edited on February 2, 2012 at 6:01 PM. Reason : -]

2/2/2012 6:00:53 PM

Bowles, Shuler, and Foxx all said they're not running.

So glad Shuler isn't running. I mean he wasn't popular amongst Dems or the general public so he wouldn't do much winning, even for the primary. But I'm just not a fan. Glad he's sticking this one out.

2/2/2012 6:08:04 PM

bummer i thought him working on the simpson bowles commission would be a positive. i guess i'd say dalton or miller

2/2/2012 6:12:09 PM

Also hoping Etheridge stays out of it. Not a fan there either.

2/2/2012 6:21:22 PM

^is that the "who are you" guy? no way he'd run.

2/2/2012 6:23:34 PM

Quote :

"is that the "who are you" guy? no way he'd run."

On Wral.com right now:

"BREAKING NEWS: FORMER 2ND DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN BOB ETHERIDGE SAYS HE WILL SEEK THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR"

Quote :

"bummer i thought him working on the simpson bowles commission would be a positive. i guess i'd say dalton or miller"

Dalton is in. Faison is in. Etheridge is in. Miller has better general election numbers than any of the 3. Although Etheridge has higher favorability of 3 among democrats suggesting he can do well in a primary.

[Edited on February 2, 2012 at 6:38 PM. Reason : .]

2/2/2012 6:33:21 PM

This is bad news bears. We're on the road to being North Alabama.

2/2/2012 7:20:27 PM

Given options like Faison who is the only one with negative favorability, Etheridge with the student video hanging around his neck, Shuler who is just terrible, and Dalton, who while not terrible, has enough ties to Perdue that its hard to see him being able to run a stronger campaign than her, it's starting to make me hope Miller gets into the race. He is also strongest against Pat of all the candidates just named.

2/2/2012 7:30:31 PM

^^it won't last

2/2/2012 7:31:21 PM

We'll have a Republican governor this time next year.

2/2/2012 8:38:18 PM

Yeah I wish we could do better than Perdue or Pat. The only hope for that is that someone jumps in and challenges on the Republican side. But Pat has so much Duke Energy $$$ that it's hard to believe anyone can afford to challenge him in the primary.

Wouldn't be so bad, but the House & Senate will prob stay in GOP hands too, which means no checks and balances against an onslaught of social conservative bills. And even more hits to public education and university budgets.

[Edited on February 2, 2012 at 8:50 PM. Reason : .]

2/2/2012 8:48:08 PM

The sky is falling. Woe is the democratic party.

Charles Brantley Aycock January 15, 1901 January 11, 1905 Democratic
Robert Broadnax Glenn January 11, 1905 January 12, 1909 Democratic
William Walton Kitchin January 12, 1909 January 15, 1913 Democratic
Locke Craig January 15, 1913 January 11, 1917 Democratic
Thomas Walter Bickett January 11, 1917 January 12, 1921 Democratic
Cameron Morrison January 12, 1921 January 14, 1925 Democratic
Angus Wilton McLean January 14, 1925 January 11, 1929 Democratic
Oliver Max Gardner January 11, 1929 January 5, 1933 Democratic
John C.B. Ehringhaus January 5, 1933 January 7, 1937 Democratic
Clyde R. Hoey January 7, 1937 January 9, 1941 Democratic
J. Melville Broughton January 9, 1941 January 4, 1945 Democratic
R. Gregg Cherry January 4, 1945 January 6, 1949 Democratic
W. Kerr Scott January 6, 1949 January 8, 1953 Democratic
William B. Umstead January 8, 1953 November 7, 1954 Democratic
Luther H. Hodges November 7, 1954 January 8, 1961 Democratic
Terry Sanford January 5, 1961 January 8, 1965 Democratic
Dan K. Moore January 8, 1965 January 3, 1969 Democratic
Robert W. Scott January 3, 1969 January 5, 1973 Democratic
James B. Hunt, Jr. January 8, 1977 January 5, 1985 Democratic
James B. Hunt, Jr. January 9, 1993 January 6, 2001 Democratic
Mike Easley January 6, 2001 January 10, 2009 Democratic
Beverly Perdue January 10, 2009 incumbent Democratic

[Edited on February 2, 2012 at 9:06 PM. Reason : .]

2/2/2012 8:51:27 PM

^Many social conservatives in that list that I'd be none to fond of if they were running today.

One of the worst guys on that list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Brantley_Aycock

Quote :

"Aycock's role as a leading spokesman in the white supremacy campaigns of 1898 and 1900, which historians say were marked by widespread violence, voter intimidation, voter fraud and even a coup d'état of the government of Wilmington."

2/2/2012 9:20:41 PM

The filing period closed earlier today. Here is a list of those who filed:

Quote :

"Walter H. Dalton, Raleigh Gary M. Dunn, Matthews Bill Faison, Efland Bob Etheridge, Lillington Gardenia M. Henley, Winston-Salem Bruce Blackmon, Buies Creek"

Obviously Lt Governor Dalton, former Congressman Etheridge, and State Representative Faison have the most name recognition at this point, though Faison is squarely in the negatives on favorability.

The Dunn guy, if the info I found online is right, has run as a republican in the past and as a Dem this time, so he doesn't strike me as a serious challenger. Blackmon is running on a single issue platform of ending taxes or something, so I don't see him being taken super seriously either.

The only surprise candidate who I don't think will get treated as a joke is Gardenia Henley. Here's some more info on her:

Quote :

"I was born and raised in North East Winston-Salem, North Carolina and graduated from East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, North Carolina in 1974. I am a Veteran of the United States Air Force. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Shaw University, in Raleigh, N.C. and a Master of Science degree in Taxation from Southeastern University in Washington, D.C. I was an Adjunct Professor of Taxation at Strayer University in Arlington, Va. I am a retired Inspector General Auditor in Charge, from the Department of State’s, Agency for International Development, (USAID) commissioned by former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeline Albright with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate."

She's got a campaign website, campaign facebook page, and twitter up and going too.

[Edited on February 29, 2012 at 9:57 PM. Reason : .]

2/29/2012 9:37:14 PM

she's a MASTER at taxation, baby. no thanks!

3/1/2012 9:04:43 AM

Strayer is a fake university.

It's due to this lack of good candidates that I'm announcing my candidacy, exclusively to TWW.

3/1/2012 9:21:41 AM

Does this mean I have more waltadawtin commercials to look forward to?

3/1/2012 10:51:28 AM

^His new ad for the governorship is surprisingly less repetitive than his old ad when he was running for Lt. Gov.

Old (for Lt Gov.)


New (for Gov)

3/18/2012 1:52:29 PM

And here's his TV ad, poking fun at his 2008 name recognition ad (while emphasizing education/community colleges and jobs/businesses):

4/16/2012 9:47:18 PM

I'm glad to see that this thread already existed.

If I'm not mistaken, there was a debate tonight on WRAL, and there will be one tomorrow on PBS and Wednesday on NBC.

4/17/2012 12:32:33 AM

It's on the front page of WRAL's website, but for prosperity's sake, here's the link to last night's debate:

http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/video/10984282/#/vid10984282

4/17/2012 5:00:44 PM

I was leaning Etheridge a month ago, mainly because I was so pissed that he lost his seat to a Tea-Partyer.

Now Dalton is winning me over.

Doesn't matter since I no longer live in-state

4/18/2012 2:51:11 AM

Here's video for the April 17 UNC-TV debate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAnpwMf462U

4/23/2012 1:36:48 AM

Early voting is under way!

Here's the info for early voting in Wake County:
http://www.wakegov.com/elections/earlyvoting/default.htm

Democrats and Unaffiliated voters can both vote in the democratic primary.

These guys have some voter questionnaire responses for several of the statewide candidates:
http://www.durhampa.org/pac/2012-elections/

4/24/2012 11:38:35 PM

Kind of late notice, but here's the NBC17 debate:
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2012/apr/18/11/democratic-gubernatorial-candidates-debate-ar-2180095/

5/7/2012 10:46:02 PM

The polls have been interesting to watch. If I recall correctly, Etheridge had a 10 pt lead, then things switched and Dalton had a 10 point lead, then things started switching again and Etheridge is only down 5 points or less and seems to be closing in. This is going to be a tighter election than it first seemed like.

Not that I'm a huge fan of Dalton, but I dislike Etheridge and McCrony. Hoping for an Etheridge loss tomorrow.

5/7/2012 11:12:51 PM

Well, I'm dumb. For whatever reason, I thought that if I chose nonpartisan, then I could vote in both primaries. Instead, I voted in neither.

I should've looked at my sample ballots.

5/8/2012 5:32:06 PM

Bummer. I e-mailed the state board of elections a few weeks ago to clarify how it was going to work. They should be more explicit on the website.

5/8/2012 7:35:30 PM