Tara Servatius offers the view that you’d have to have real self-esteem issues to live in Charlotte — or any urban metro area in the state — and vote for a rural-firster like Bev Perdue.
Perdue is just too hostile to Charlotte’s road-building needs to be trusted with highest office in the state, “part of the down East cabal that has dominated the legislature for decades,” Tara writes.
Cabal, of course, is vague. We prefer Down East kleptocracy, much more to the point. Besides, there is the redistricting angle to consider. The next governor will be in the midst of the horse trading that will kick off almost immediately when they take office. Rural legislators know that they are about to lose seats — hence power — to the urban population centers. As a result, they might look re-write the state’s road funding formula sooner rather than later. The idea being that if you give a little now, there will be a lot less taken from you later.
Here’s the catch — I’m not certain that outcome would be all that different no matter the governor, not unless Pat McCrory cracks heads like he never has before as mayor. Pat loves to find the middle ground, and rural Democrats faced with a loss of power might be all-too-happy to meet him there.
Bev? She’d just do whatever she is told.