This election could blow all North Carolina political stereotypes right out of the water. For the first time in recent memory, North Carolina stands to support a Democrat for president, a Democrat for U.S. Senate, and a Republican for governor. Ironically, our electorate usually votes conservative nationally and Democratic locally. The list of Republican predecessors is short — in 1984 and 1988 Jim Martin served as governor, in 1972 Jim Holshouser was elected, and prior to that, the last Republican governor was Daniel Russell in 1896. Pat McCrory, the Republican nominee for governor, is by far the best candidate for the job. McCrory has the executive leadership necessary to guide the state’s $20 billion plus budget year in and year out, he has the polished communication skills necessary to negotiate with what will more than likely be a somewhat hostile legislative branch. He’ll bring in a fresh group of administrators and policies that will break away from the decades of control by the North Carolina Democratic Party.On the economy, rather than trying to bribe companies into the state, he’s promised and shown that by creating a better business climate, you can attract and retain businesses, instead of throwing money at executives, which North Carolina has become prone to do. McCrory hasn’t been part of the system that has destroyed our mental health institutions, nor is he an insider stuck in the mediocrity of our current education system. Shockingly, major daily papers in Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Durham and High-Point have all endorsed McCrory for governor. The other endorsements for Beverly Perdue should come as no surprise considering she is the Democrat in the race and they are coming from unions and state employees which rarely endorse Republicans. McCrory has the executive experience needed to be governor of North Carolina after presiding over our state’s largest city and helping to craft its transformation into one of the south’s centers of commerce and finance. Perdue has served in the state legislature for quite some time, but as an observer of the North Carolina General Assembly, I watched day in and day out as she took her marching orders from in the Senate chambers. She can attempt to take credit for all the good legislation the General Assembly’s passed since she’s been in office, but how much of it she really crafted or played a role in passing is questionable. I’d even question if she’d really be the one calling the shots as governor. As far as vision, ideas and experience, McCrory is far and away the most qualified candidate for governor, and the Democrats are starting to realize the North Carolina electorate is catching on as well. In an election that should be a landslide for the Democrats nationally and in a state that has always supported Democrats locally, Pat McCrory has shown he has the leadership skills necessary to successfully propel North Carolina’s economy, education system, heath care and infrastructure into the next decade.Send Benton your thoughts on the gubernatorial race to [email protected].