Governor's first test may be the legislature

As governor, neither Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue nor Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory will be able to accomplish their promises without the agreement of people who work down the street from the Executive Mansion: members of the state legislature.

And Perdue, the Democratic candidate, and McCrory, the Republican nominee, face different challenges in working with lawmakers.

Perdue must prove a willingness to battle old friends. McCrory, meanwhile, must demonstrate a capacity to cooperate with a legislature that is likely to be controlled by Democrats.

No problem, they both say.

"I've had a majority Democrat City Council all but two years in my 13 years as mayor," McCrory said, "and I think we accomplished a lot."

Before her election as lieutenant governor eight years ago, Perdue spent 14 years in the legislature. If she becomes governor, she'll be squaring off against longtime allies.

"I've never been one to worry about having to do something or needing to do something," she said, "because of a personal relationship."

The next governor will confront the state's weakest economy in a quarter century and a legislature that historically has played the dominant role in state government. Any budget, program or policy shift that a governor champions can't move without the support of the legislature. Even governors and legislative majorities of the same party have clashed.

The candidates' track records provide hints about how they'll handle the legislature. Some episodes suggest they can defy their skeptics. Neither is an ideologue. Both are pragmatic enough to work with supporters and opponents to pass crucial legislation.

There are also signs of potential trouble.

Basnight protege

Perdue gets tagged as a disciple of Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, of Manteo, one of the state's most powerful figures. He appointed her in the 1990s as one of the Senate's chief budget writers. Before that, he handed her high-profile legislation to shepherd through, such as a bill to create the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which awards grants to protect water quality.

Senate Deputy Republican Leader Tom Apodaca of Hendersonville, said having a Basnight protege such as Perdue as governor would give even more power to Basnight and Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat.

"The one I worry about is Senator Rand," Apodaca quipped. "I don't know if he'll have time to run both the Senate and the state on a day-to-day basis."

Perdue has held offices that allowed little room for independence. Senate Democrats generally hash out disputes privately and then move legislation as a group. As lieutenant governor, Perdue had little power other than that assigned by Gov. Mike Easley.

She displayed her independence from Basnight behind the scenes in caucus meetings, said Sen. Charlie Albertson, a Duplin County Democrat.

"I've seen her put down her foot when she needed to, when there was something she felt strong about," he said.

Albertson and two other Democratic senators could not point to specific issues where Perdue countered Basnight. But Basnight said she pushed for a proposed cut in the food tax in the 1990s that he opposed. Her side won.

Perdue says that, if elected, she would have one advantage over her former legislative colleagues.

"They get there the same way that I do -- being voted on by the people," Perdue said, "but ... clearly I know how to spell 'veto.'"

A GOP rarity?

McCrory would become only the third Republican governor in the past century. Veteran political analyst John Davis, former director of the business research group NCFREE, predicted last month that the GOP will take control of the Senate. Many Republicans, though, expect McCrory would face a Democratic-controlled legislature inclined to obstruct him at times.