McCrory Formally Launches Re-Election Bid | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Dan Way, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Republican incumbent touts job creation, income growth, government reforms

    KERNERSVILLE - Casting himself as an outsider who came to Raleigh to right a listing ship of state, Gov. Pat McCrory formally announced his re-election bid Wednesday with a heavy emphasis on job creation and income growth that are part of what he calls the Carolina Comeback.

    The Republican incumbent's campaign committee released a video before Wednesday's event.

    He was plugged as "an education governor" by African-American High Point businessman Robert Brown, a friend of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, and got an endorsement as a "business-friendly governor" from Phil Kelly Jr., president and CEO of Salem One, the family-owned business where McCrory launched his campaign.

    "We did what every family and what every business had to do" in overcoming a tough economy and constrained budget when his administration took power, McCrory said.

    "We became more efficient. We prioritized. We solved problems. We put together a great team. We set goals. We made the tough decisions, and we took action," he said. "We led, and we've gotten results that have been positive for the people of North Carolina."

    In a press release, the state Democratic Party downplayed the governor's announcement. "Thanks to Governor McCrory, middle class families have less money in their pockets, wages have stagnated, and North Carolina's best teachers are leaving for other states - all while giant corporations and those at the top have received record breaks. ... [V[oters are ready for a change," said party spokesman Ford Porter.

    The governor touted accomplishments, including reducing personal income and corporate tax rates, retiring a $2.6 billion unemployment insurance debt to the federal government, creating a rainy day fund in the budget to cope with any future economic downturns, and reining in recurring Medicaid shortfalls.

    "We gave teachers much needed pay raises and respect. We reformed Medicaid when no one said the legislature or governor could get together on Medicaid reform," he said. "We reduced bureaucracy and we reduced waste. We increased resources to build much needed roads throughout North Carolina."

    McCrory said a $2 billion bond program referendum he championed through the General Assembly will let voters approve major reinvestments in universities, community colleges, state parks and attractions, roads, and bridges.

    "Some say we can do better. But the results show this. Nobody has ever done it better than this administration," McCrory said.

    He said on his watch more than 230,000 new private sector jobs were created, and North Carolina is one of the dozen fastest-growing states in job creation nationally. The state experienced the 11th largest decrease in unemployment, and personal income grew the 10th fastest among states.

    "North Carolina is the only Southern state to make the top 10 in both job growth and income growth," McCrory said.

    The governor also noted his detractors. "From day one the critics howled," he said.

    "The good old boy network that controlled state government for the last 25 years, they tried to stop any and all reform. The media elite falsely predicted dire consequences of our actions," he said. "The professional politicians who have been in Raleigh for decades from both the left and the right, frankly, fought for power instead of fighting for the right thing to do for the people of North Carolina."

    And now there are "shadowy left-wing groups funded by anonymous donors from outside of our state who have descended on our state, pushing a radical agenda that does not meet North Carolina values," McCrory said, without elaboration.

    "How thankful we are that our governor is a business-friendly governor," Kelly said. "Our organization has directly benefited by that leadership, and when I say benefited we're growing jobs," Kelly said. Salem One - which has operations in both Carolinas - grew from 12 employees "not that many years ago" to more than 130 today.

    Brown, who runs an international consulting firm and an international education foundation, said McCrory was mayor of Charlotte when they met nearly 20 years ago.

    "He's honest, ethical. He's someone we can trust," Brown said. "He's someone who has the courage to stand up when things go wrong, and many times things have been wrong. There are a lot of things wrong in this state now, and we have a governor who's trying to correct it."

    He said McCrory "can see the greatness in every child," is trying to help "struggling schools," and "understands that a good education is not just a talking point. ... We have an education governor. We have a governor who now wants to lift us up and take us many places we haven't been before."

    State Rep. Pat Hurley, R-Randolph, who was among the state and local elected officials attending, said she looks forward to a second McCrory term. She said media reports of rifts between the governor and General Assembly are overblown.

    "I think he likes to do personal meetings with groups. I think he's done that lots of times," Hurley said. "We don't always agree, everybody. But we do want the same things for North Carolina. It's very important that we work together ... to help North Carolina be the state it can be, and it has risen" due to their combined efforts.

    Dale Folwell, former assistant secretary of employment security, expects McCrory's track record as governor will lift him over Democratic challengers Ken Spaulding, a Durham attorney, and Attorney General Roy Cooper, and that should help Republicans on down-ballot races.

    "I think the people of North Carolina are going to respect anyone who recognizes that they didn't create the problem, they discovered the problem, and they're going to be about the business of fixing the problem," said Folwell, who has filed to run for state treasurer.

    The Republican Governors Association threw its support behind McCrory's re-election announcement, hailing job creation on his watch "while providing $4.4 billion in tax relief to hardworking North Carolina taxpayers, delivering a $450 million budget surplus, and making key investments in education, including the largest teacher pay raise in the country."

    "Governor McCrory has a clear vision for the future of our state, a record of results, and has time and time again stood up for North Carolina families," said North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Hasan Harnett.