Pat McCrory for Guv may help GOP prez candidate take the state

From Eric Dondero:

This poll just coming out from the left-leaning polling firm PPP, (via Hedgehog)

GOVERNOR – NORTH CAROLINA (PPP)
Pat McCrory (R) 48%
Bev Perdue (D-inc) 39%

No doubt this has enormous implications for the presidential race. With Florida and even Virginia moving into the GOP column, the Obama campaign has increasing pressure to hold North Carolina. It's darn near impossible to come up with a winning electoral strategy for Team Obama without NC.

Who is McCrory?

Pat McCrory is a former 7-term Mayor of Charlotte. He holds claim to having been the prime mover in bringing the NASCAR Hall of Fame to Charlotte.

He is run-of-the-mill moderate-to-conservative. He ran in 2008 against Purdue, and lost. Ironically, there was a strong Libertarian Party candidate in the race who polled near 10%.

There hasn't beem much to excite libertarians about McCrory. However, this somewhat encouraging note from Creative Loafing - NC in August:

According to observers from both parties, the former Charlotte mayor has moved farther and farther to the right in order to shore up support from the GOP's ultra-conservative Tea Party factions, as he looks toward a rematch with Gov. Bev Perdue in 2012.

It seems McCrory has linked up with the libertarian group Americans For Prosperity and longtime libertarian Republican and fmr. state rep. Art Pope.

He now firmly supports anti-voting fraud measures like voter i.d., deep spending cuts, and North Carolina opting out of federally-mandated Health Care.