Fact, falsehood -- or somewhere in between?

Among the two gubernatorial campaigns and three outside groups, more than a dozen ads have aired in the race in the past six weeks. Here is a look at some of the more memorable claims

SPONSORED BY BEVERLY PERDUE

'Difference on vouchers'

McCrory's support for school vouchers is contrasted with Perdue's opposition.

'Pat McCrory supports private school vouchers, taking 900 million taxpayer dollars away from public schools to pay for kids in private schools.'

FACTS: About 20 voucher programs are used across 14 states, according to Jeff Reed, director of the education task force at the American Legislative Exchange Council, a nonpartisan association for conservative lawmakers.

Vouchers, which let parents take tax credits for private schooling, are often limited to disabled or disadvantaged students in failing schools, Reed said. No state has universal vouchers.

McCrory has consistently supported vouchers, but he has recently said he would limit them. During the Republican primary campaign, he pitched vouchers as a way to increase competition among schools and offer parents more choices.

"The more competition we have, the more choice you have in education, the better our education is going to be for our kids," he told a Hendersonville crowd in March. "And parents must have these choices, both with charter schools, school vouchers, and also more choice at the local school."

In a candidate questionnaire distributed by the N.C. Family Policy Council, McCrory answered yes to this question: "Should parents who choose to educate their children in private, religious, or home schools receive a voucher or tax credit from the state?"

The $900 million figure in the ad assumes every student home-schooled or enrolled in private school in North Carolina would get a voucher, which would make a much more extensive program than available elsewhere.

SPONSORED BY BEVERLY PERDUE

'When I hear'

A WOMAN PARALYZED BY PRIMARY LATERAL SCLEROSIS SAYS THROUGH A VOICE BOX THAT PAT McCRORY OPPOSES EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH.

'So when I hear politicians like Pat McCrory say he wants to ban

embryonic stem cell research, I ask myself, how can he be against hope?'

FACTS: The state of North Carolina does not subsidize embryonic stem cell research or ban it.

During the Republican gubernatorial primary, the N.C. Family Policy Council, a nonpartisan group that promotes Judeo-Christian values, sent candidates a questionnaire.

One query asked: "Should the stem cells of a human embryo be used for research purposes when the act of obtaining the stem cells results in the destruction of the human embryo?"

McCrory answered no. He later said he supports research using adult cells or amniotic cells, neither of which involve embryos. Scientists say those forms of research have not yielded as much progress.

Perdue's campaign could not produce evidence that McCrory ever said he would ban embryonic stem cell research. McCrory strategist Jack Hawke confirmed, only after the ad ran, that McCrory, as governor, would support legislation that prohibited stem cell research in which the embryo was destroyed. Perdue's campaign gambled on that being the answer but had no proof when it produced the ad.

SPONSORED BY PAT McCRORY

'Offshore Drilling'

McCRORY CONTRASTS HIS SUPPORT FOR OFFSHORE DRILLING IN NORTH CAROLINA WITH PERDUE'S OPPOSITION.

'I support conservation, deep-sea exploration for natural gas and oil. Beverly Perdue is 100 percent opposed and says it won't happen on her watch.'

FACTS: In mid-June, national Republicans began calling for a reconsideration of a federal moratorium on offshore drilling.

On June 18, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue issued a news release saying she was "100 percent opposed to oil drilling off the coast of North Carolina." Appearing before the N.C. Press Association that day, Perdue said drilling would never occur during her administration.