Cal Cunningham nixes run at NC lieutenant governor

LEXINGTON, NC (AP) — Former US Senate candidate Cal Cunningham says it’s not the right time to run for lieutenant governor in North Carolina despite a shake-up that’s left that ballot slot open.

Cunningham released a statement Monday saying he and his wife have decided they can’t balance existing work, financial and family commitments with running a statewide campaign that opened up just last Thursday. That happened when Gov. Bev Perdue announced she wouldn’t seek re-election, and Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton announced he would run for governor.

Cunningham is a former Davidson County state senator and Afghanistan war veteran who lost in a US Senate primary runoff to Elaine Marshall in 2010.

Other Democrats are considering getting into the May 8 primary for lieutenant governor, including 2008 candidate Hampton Dellinger.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)