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Perdue thanks county voters for primary win
Democratic gubernatorial candidate faces Pat McCrory in November
RALEIGH -- Moments after Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue gave a spirited victory speech in her Democratic nomination for governor, she was thanking the folks back home in Craven County for the support two decades ago.
"It's where I got my start back in 1986-87 in that House district," Perdue said.
Back then, a lot of people said a woman couldn't win that race, she said.
"They believed in me then and they believe in me now," Perdue said. "We were fighters then and we're winners tonight."
Perdue said that her campaign would stay focused on the issues and would make a decision later on about whether to continue not running negative ads.
She said she plans to hold debates with the Republican gubernatorial nominee, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. She said she hoped to have at least two debates with her GOP opponent in different parts of the state.
Earlier in the evening, as early returns came in showing Perdue with a sizeable lead in the Democratic primary, the candidate remained in her hotel suite.
"I just think she wants to be with her family right now," her campaign spokesman, David Kochman, said.
Meanwhile, campaign workers gathered at a ballroom at the North Raleigh Hilton waiting for an anticipated victory celebration. Occasional applause erupted when vote tallies flashed across a large television screen set up in the ballroom.
Signs along the highway made it obvious to passers-by that the Hilton was the place Perdue would be. One sign, inside the men's bathroom near the ballrooms hosting the Perdue party, read in bold red and blue letters: "THANKS PERDUDES."
