Perdue, McCrory to vie for Governor

RALEIGH (AP) – Beverly Perdue waited for this moment for three years. Pat McCrory worked on it for three months.

After winning their party's governor's primaries on Tuesday, they're on the same timetable to convince North Carolina they're the right choice to succeed outgoing Gov. Mike Easley.

Perdue, who's been the lieutenant governor for the past seven years, took 56 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, easily holding off State Treasurer Richard Moore. That was with 98 percent of the precincts reporting.

In the Republican primary, McCrory earned 46 percent of the vote, well above the more than 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff with state Sen. Fred Smith of Johnston County, who finished second with 37 percent. Celebrating with supporters, the Charlotte mayor bragged that he hasn't lost an election since running for student body president at Catawba College.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)