North Carolina Governor Perdue Won’t Seek Second Term, AP Says

Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, a Democrat elected in 2008 who has struggled to maintain support among voters, won’t run for re-election in November, the Associated Press reported, citing an unidentified party official.

North Carolina is a so-called swing state that backed President Barack Obama in 2008. The decision comes after Perdue’s standing among residents has tumbled, with fewer than a third saying they approved of her performance, according to a Public Policy Polling survey this month indicating she would face a challenging re-election fight.

Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory, who is seeking the Republican nomination, is leading Perdue in various polls by at least 10 percentage points, said Ballard Everett, a Raleigh campaign consultant for Republican candidates.

A call to Perdue’s press office wasn’t immediately returned.

--With assistance from David Mildenberg in Charlotte. Editors: Stephen Merelman, William Glasgall

To contact the reporter on this story: William Selway in Washington at wselway@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Tannenbaum at mtannen@bloomberg.net