ICYMI: Governor Pat McCrory’s $2 Billion Victory Bodes Well For His Re-Election

The Greensboro News & Record noted how the approval by voters of the Connect NC bond initiative is good news politically for Governor Pat McCrory and that the victory, combined with McCrory’s impressive record on job creation, education and the budget, places him in an ideal position to win re-election this fall, writing: “McCrory will carry the achievement during the campaign to come, and Roy Cooper will have to find other issues on which to make his case.”

McCrory’s $2 Billion Victory
Greensboro News & Record; 3/17/2016

Gov. Pat McCrory’s re-election campaign sent out a favorable (of course) commentary today that I think is pretty much on the mark.

Written by political consultant John Davis, it makes the argument that his primary victory and the success of the Connect NC bond vote Tuesday puts McCrory in a strong position to win in November.

It begins:

“On Tuesday, March 15, 2016, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory seized the advantage in his race for a second term with an 82% Republican primary victory and a 2-to-1 win (66%-to-34%) for Connect NC, a $2 billion infrastructure bond.

“McCrory’s primary rout erases any doubt about his solid support among Republicans. But even more important is the political value of the Connect NC bond win to his race in the General Election with Attorney General Roy Cooper, the Democratic Party nominee.

“Voters in 76 of 100 counties will see the Connect NC bond money being spent locally. Investments include well-regarded institutions like the UNC System, the NC Community College System, state parks, National Guard, water/sewer projects, the state zoo and agriculture research.

“As accomplished and capable as Roy Cooper is, the 2016 race for governor is a referendum on Gov. McCrory’s first term. Now, thanks to an improving economy, his leadership on the budget and Connect NC, he has plenty of feathers in his cap to impress persuadable voters.

“Under McCrory’s leadership, the unemployment rate has steadily improved, taxes have been cut, a $2.5 billion unemployment insurance debt to the federal government has been paid, a $1 billion rainy day fund has been set aside, and K-12 funding has been increased.

“However, those accomplishments have a partisan taint. Deals between a Republican governor and a Republican-led legislature. The unique political value of Connect NC is that it had overwhelming bipartisan support.

“Pat McCrory’s seven terms as Mayor of the City of Charlotte seasoned him well to lead an urban dominant swing state. His successful leadership of the Connect NC bond referendum adds to his potential for winning crossover independent-leaning Democratic voters statewide.

“McCrory understands that quality of life not only depends on government investment in urban priorities like public transportation, performing arts centers and sports arenas, but it also depends on the state’s investment in broader priorities like the UNC System, NC Community College System, state parks, National Guard, the state zoo and agriculture research.

“Look for the Connect NC bond referendum victory to have an immediate positive impact on McCrory’s job approval in public opinion polls. More importantly, it will make it increasingly difficult for Democratic nominee Roy Cooper to make the case that only Democrats are visionaries willing to make progressive investments in the quality of life of all North Carolinians.”

Clearly this is the McCrory team’s storyline, as evidenced by the governor’s bonds victory tour, which kicked off yesterday at N.C. A&T in Greensboro.

I completely agree that McCrory deserves more credit than anyone for seeing that the bonds were approved. He barnstormed across the state for them, and he stuck his neck out for them. A defeat would have been a repudiation of his leadership, so he’s certainly entitled to celebrate the overwhelming affirmative vote.

He doesn’t even have to share credit with Republicans in the legislature, who only reluctantly agreed to put the bonds on the ballot (and knocked off $1 billion worth of additional projects McCrory wanted). This is all his.

I think he’s gone far off the tracks on many other issues, but that’s fodder for other days.

Even though I suspect that most of the votes against the bonds Tuesday were cast by Republicans (polls taken beforehand predicted that), this did not translate to votes against McCrory in the GOP primary.

It was significant that Hillary Clinton received nearly 160,000 more votes in the Democratic primary than Donald Trump got in the Republican contest, indicating that she’ll have a big advantage in the fall.

Likewise, McCrory received about 160,000 more votes than did Cooper. This almost certainly means that McCrory will run far ahead of Trump in November and should be favored to defeat Cooper, even though polls show them about even.

Winning approval for $2 billion in bonds is a big accomplishment for McCrory, and even Cooper should congratulate him for it.

McCrory will carry the achievement during the campaign to come, and Cooper will have to find other issues on which to make his case.