Perdue not facing cameras

RALEIGH

Perdue has remained hidden since word of her decision not to seek reelection this fall leaked out Thursday.

Her only comment has been in a written statement sent out to the media in which she blamed Republicans for her decision not to try for a second term.

"We live in highly partisan times, where some people seem more worried about scoring political points than working together to address the real challenges our state faces," she said.

Click here to read the full statement

Perdue, the first woman elected governor in North Carolina history, said she worried public education funding would suffer in a reelection fight.

But Perdue entered the election year with other political baggage, including a campaign finance investigation, sagging poll numbers and a tough rematch campaign against an opponent she narrowly beat in 2008, when Obama's coattails helped Democrats across the state.

Perdue's written statement made no mention of what Perdue, 65, planned to do in the future. Perdue campaign spokesman Marc Farinella said the governor declined to speak to reporters Thursday because she was spending time with her family after making "this very difficult decision."

"For now she wants her statement to speak for itself," he said.

Perdue is listed as the co-chair of steering and host committee membership for the Democratic 2012 convention in Charlotte later this year. DNC officials were quick to say Thursday that Perdue's withdrawal from the governor's race will have no effect on the September event.

The governor has not been closely involved in the convention planning and was not present at a DNC media conference in Charlotte last week announcing that President Obama would give his acceptance speech to Bank of America Stadium.

"They made the decision to site the convention in Charlotte knowing that Beverly Perdue was facing an uphill fight," said Steven Greene, a political science professor at N.C. State. "That was already factored into their decision."

Perdue may try to maintain a low profile through the end of her term early next year. After issuing her statement declaring her intention not to run, Perdue holed up in the governor's mansion with her aides.

Mark Johnson, the governor's deputy communications director, said the governor has no public events scheduled for the next week.

"Anything beyond next week is tentative," Johnson said.

Classifieds | Report A Typo |  Send Tip |  Get Alerts | See Click Fix
Follow @abc11 on Twitter  |  Become a fan on Facebook

Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.