Brad Miller won't run for N.C. governor

RALEIGH -- U.S. Rep. Brad Miller of Raleigh said Thursday that he would not seek the Democratic nomination for governor, becoming the latest political figure to bypass the race after Gov. Bev Perdue's surprise announcement that she would not seek re-election.

Miller, who seriously looked at running for governor after the legislature gerrymandered him out of his 13th District seat, said he wanted to focus on the financial and consumer issues he has worked on for the past several years when his term ends next January.

As the Democrats try to sort out their field, former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the likely GOP gubernatorial nominee, said it did not matter which Democrat ran.

"We've accomplished half of our goal even before the campaign even starts," McCrory told 1,935 cheering Republicans who gathered Thursday night in Dorton Arena for the Wake County precincts meeting. "Beverly Perdue will not be the next governor of North Carolina.

"The only thing we are learning about the list of names who are considering running for governor in the Democratic Party is that every person on that list is the same people that supported the Easley-Perdue policies and the Easley-Perdue culture that is unacceptable for North Carolina's future," said McCrory, referring to Democratic former Gov. Mike Easley, in office from 2001-2009.

McCrory brought the crowd to its feet several times when he promised he would sign bills passed by the Republican legislature that Perdue had vetoed: a voter ID bill; and a measure making the state a party to a legal challenge to the national health care law. Unlike Perdue, McCrory said, he would work vigorously to open up the state oil and gas exploration, both offshore and on land.

The Democratic field remains unsettled as the Feb. 29 candidate filing deadline approaches. A number of candidates have bypassed the race, including former University of North Carolina system President Erskine Bowles, Attorney General Roy Cooper, U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre and now Miller.

Three candidates have announced: Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, former U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge and state Rep. Bill Faison.

At least two major Democrats continue to look at the race, former state Treasurer Richard Moore and state Sen. Dan Blue, both of Raleigh.

"I'm still thinking, I'm still trying to see what the field looks like," Blue, a former House Speaker, said minutes after Miller's announcement.

"I have not ruled it out," he said. "The thing is, once you decide, you are changing everything else you had planned at least for the next eight or nine months."

Moore could not be reached for comment.

Miller's decision surprised few political insiders. He had initially said he would make a decision 10 days ago, and his delay suggested he was having doubts. Miller, a five-term congressman, also had considered running in the same district as 4th District Democrat David Price, after being drawn into the district by the GOP legislature last year.

While ruling out the governor's race, he did not exclude a future run for political office.

"I have been an energetic and determined candidate in the past," Miller said. "Although my determination to hold elective office appears now to be in remission, I may seek elective office again. And I will certainly support other energetic and determined candidates for office."

There were a number of potential obstacles to his running for governor.

"He had a built-in constituency of liberals across the state and strong base in the Triangle, but he has consistently had problems raising significant amounts of money needed to get out and run a statewide campaign," said Brad Crone, a veteran Democratic strategist based in Raleigh.

"A gubernatorial race that is a sprint rather than a marathon is all going to be about raising the money and getting on TV first," Crone said.

Miller had $194,033 of cash in hand in his congressional campaign account, but federal rules only allow him to transfer $4,000 to a governor's race. A Public Policy Poll taken earlier this month showed that Miller would have a lot of ground to make up with only 7 percent of Democratic voters saying they preferred him to be governor.

"He could have a powerful voice - no doubt," Crone said. "But he wouldn't have the money to back it up."

There is also the question of whether Miller's populist stance in taking on Wall Street and the banks on behalf of consumers was the right profile in a governor's race where Democrats tend to work closely with business interests.

"I think he is too liberal to run a statewide election," said Steven Greene, a political scientist at N.C. State University. "Statewide election winners are more centrist Democrats. I don't think Brad Miller really fits into that mold."