Free Republic

Perdue Team Headed To CourtSeveral aides may be called to testify about illegal contributions By Don Carrington Jun. 4th, 2012 RALEIGH — Even though Gov. Bev Perdue’s 2008 campaign for governor ended nearly four years ago, the upcoming trial of New Bern attorney Trawick “Buzzy” Stubbs should offer further insight into her campaign’s mysterious aircraft provider program. Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby maintains that the 10 flights Stubbs paid for, reported by Perdue’s campaign staff months after the election, amounted to illegal campaign donations. The trial, scheduled to begin June 11, also may provide insight into Perdue’s decision not...

Sitton, Former Perdue Campaign Worker and Employee, Pleads Not GuiltyBy CJ Staff Mar. 5th, 2012 RALEIGH — Julia Leigh Sitton, a Morganton attorney and the former head of Gov. Bev Perdue's western North Carolina office, this morning entered a plea of not guilty to two felony charges for violations of campaign laws arising from the time she worked on the 2008 Perdue campaign. Sitton, who's also known as Juleigh Sitton, entered the plea at Wake County Superior Court through her attorney Joseph Zeszotarski. Sitton, attorney Trawick "Buzzy" Stubbs, and former Perdue campaign finance director Peter Reichard were indicted on felony...

President Obama met with a group of Democratic governors on Friday and discussed plans to work around Congress toward policy goals. Gov. Jack Markell, the Democratic governor of Delaware and the vice chairman of the National Governors Association, told The Hill that the meeting was “very good” and said many of the governors were responsive to ideas about bypassing Congress. “There was a sense that none of us should wait, we can’t wait for things to happen in Congress,” Markell said of the meeting. “We’re going to do what we can do [now].” Obama has positioned himself against Congress as...

Messina: Perdue wasn't pushed outGovernor didn't confer with president about not running, Obama campaign chief says By Tim Funk - The Charlotte Observer Posted: Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue did not consult with the White House or with President Barack Obama's campaign before abandoning her re-election bid, Obama national campaign manager Jim Messina told the Observer during a visit to North Carolina this week. Some political analysts have said that not having to run with Democrat Perdue, who's been lagging in the polls, would help Obama in his bid to win North Carolina and its 15 electoral...

Perdue is disingenuous to the endBy Jim Longworth Wednesday, February 1, 2012 **SNIP** It’s so like Bev to blame others for her failures and divert our attention away from her mistakes. Throughout her career in politics, Perdue has been the schoolyard bully used to getting her own way. As a state senator she wielded power over many agencies including the highway patrol. That power came in handy in July 1995 when she was involved in an alleged drunk-driving car crash. Instead of calling 911, she called a “friend” in the HP (believed to be trooper Randy Glover who, afterward received...

Two Political Analysts Say Gov. Perdue's Decision Doesn't Add UpWritten by Philip Jones 7:09 PM, Jan 30, 2012 Greensboro, NC -- We've had a few days to digest Gov. Bev Perdue's decision not to run for reelection, but there's still a bit of mystery surrounding her reasoning. **SNIP** "It's very difficult to see how her ... announcing she's stepping down increases the chances Republicans go back on their campaign promises from 2010 and say, 'OK, we're now open to a tax increase,'" Dinan said. Perdue said she believes she could've beat likely challenger Pat McCrory in this fall's election, but...

Perdue to stump for NC educationSue Book January 28, 2012 6:42 PM North Carolina’s governor may not be running for re-election but she intends to actively campaign statewide in 2012 for education funding. “This is personal,” Gov. Bev Perdue said in New Bern Saturday. “This is about the future of North Carolina and I intend to lead the fight. “I care so deeply about kids and their future. I am going to go all over the state. I am going to use the bully pulpit. I am going to call out all North Carolinians and, at the end of the...

NC Democrats meet after Perdue nixes 2nd runUpdated: Jan 28, 2012 5:24 AM EST GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina Democrats are gathering for 1 of their seasonal dinners and fundraisers at a time of party upheaval after Gov. Beverly Perdue announced she wouldn't seek a second term. The North Carolina Democratic Party expected more than 500 people at Saturday evening's Sanford Hunt Frye dinner at a Greensboro hotel. The event takes on added significance as several Democrats consider whether to run in the party's gubernatorial primary.

Will the last endangered Democratic official in North Carolina please turn out the lights? Rep. Brad Miller (D) announced his retirement this morning. Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, facing the likely prospect of an epic defeat this November, announced her decision not to run for a second term this afternoon. Later, politically vulnerable Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) opened the door to running for governor of the Tar Heel State. And a local news report tonight said Rep. Heath Shuler (D) is eyeing a bid for governor as well. A Shuler spokeswoman had no comment.

UPDATED: Gov. Bev Perdue is expected to announce today that she will not seek a second term as governor, two sources close to the Democrat's campaign tell The News & Observer. Perdue is expected to make an announcement this afternoon, a N.C. Democratic Party spokesman said. Her campaign aides began telling top Democrats in the past 24 hours. Perdue campaign spokesman Marc Farinella could not be reached for comment.

Numerous sources say Gov. Bev Perdue will not seek re-election in 2012. Perdue will turn 65 this month. Her likely opponent in the next campaign will be Pat McCrory, former Charlotte mayor and a Catawba College graduate. Sources at the Associated Press are working on a story at this time. The Raleigh News & Observer is reporting Perdue is expected to make an announcement this afternoon. The News & Observer is also reporting that Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton has about $600,000 in the bank, according to campaign finance reports. Others likely to make a run include current Charlotte Mayor Anthony...

2 with ties to Perdue surrender at Wake jailBy MICHAEL BIESECKER, Associated Press Posted: 1:00 p.m. today RALEIGH. N.C. — Two people with close ties to North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue have surrendered at the Wake County jail on charges related to campaign finance violations. Both were quickly released Wednesday on $50,000 unsecured bonds. Juleigh Sitton of Morganton recently resigned as director of the governor's Western Office. Sitton was indicted on two felony charges Monday, accused of accepting $32,000 in secret salary payments from illegal campaign donations when she worked for Perdue's 2008 campaign.

N.C. grand jury indicts 3 with ties to Perdue campaignPosted to: Crime News North Carolina By Gary D. Robertson and Michael Biesecker The Associated Press November 28, 2011 RALEIGH, N.C. - A Wake County grand jury on Monday indicted former campaign workers and a close family friend of North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue as part of an investigation into undisclosed flights on private airplanes leading up to her 2008 election victory. Grand jurors handed up indictments in state court against former Perdue campaign finance director Peter Reichard of Greensboro; Juleigh Sitton of Morganton, until recently the director of the governor's...

NC Republicans to Raise Money with Gun CompetitionBy The Associated Press POSTED: 6:26 pm EDT October 20, 2011 **SNIP** Event admission is $1,000 per person, which includes a barbecue lunch and the "Caucus Clay Shoot" competition. An invitation to the event says the team that wins the competition will receive Perdue brand turkeys - a thinly-veiled reference to Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, who is up for re-election next year.

A state lawmaker and a group of Democratic political donors with ties to Gov. Beverly Perdue are poised to sell land at a handsome profit for a tire plant that's being lured with $100 million in state and local incentives, according to public records reviewed by The Associated Press. As North Carolina's chief executive, the governor is a key decision maker in large incentives deals involving state money. She also helps appoint the board members of a foundation that's been asked to provide part of the tire plant's package. Perdue's campaign has received more than $52,000 from five men with...

With absolutely no proof of any kind of who he really is, Barack Obama made it to the Oval Office in 2008. There was no media vetting of the largely absentee senator from Illinois, who even back then had the temerity to compare himself to Abraham Lincoln. All anyone ever had to go on was an autobiographical book suspected of being ghost-written by an unrepentant domestic terrorist. We all know how it goes with politicians and autobiographical books.

Governor Beverly Perdue’s recent suggestion that we suspend the 2012 elections so our Representatives can focus on getting things done has caused some to question whether she is fit to hold office. After all, if you want to preserve a wayward democratic republic, it’s probably not the best idea to suggest that democracy is what’s driving us off course. And ever since an audio surfaced of the North Carolina Democrat’s remarks, her efforts at damage control — a claim that she was simply indulging sarcasm — have been falling short. The audio reveals that her suggestion was rendered matter-of-factly, embedded...

The News-Observer claims in their headline that she was “joking” but I think that’s because they can’t quite believe a sitting governor would be so stupid as to say this publicly. In fact, in the story itself they note, “It’s unclear whether Perdue, a Democrat, is serious — but her tone was level and she asked others to support her on the idea.” Hey, you know what would vastly improve American politics? Much less public accountability. “You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing...

Despite claims that she was joking, North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue is "dead serious" with her suggestion that the 2012 congressional elections be suspended, according to radio host Rush Limbaugh, and at least one group is now calling for the Democrat's impeachment. "No, she wasn't joking," Limbaugh said today. "If they could get away with canceling elections, they would do it. That is who the Democrats of today are. That's what the American left is all about." During a speech yesterday in Cary, N.C., Perdue stated: "You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and...

Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue has long had a reputation for shoot-from-the-hip remarks that leave her audiences shaking their heads, part of her folksy, I'm-just-a -coal-miner's-daughter persona. But none of her previous comments hit a political nerve like her startling suggestion this week that Congress suspend its elections next year to concentrate on fixing the economy. In the connected digital age, her remarks - made in response to an audience question at the Cary Rotary Club and reported online by The News & Observer - leaped across the Internet and were soon the subject of a provocative headline on the Drudge...