This is a town named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who according to legend laid down his velvet cloak so his queen would not have to step in a mud puddle.

So the gentlemanly code of chivalry seems embedded into Raleigh's DNA.

That presents a problem for the Raleigh boys who are going to have to elbow women out of their way if they are to move up the political ladder next year.

If former Sen. John Edwards, until recently a Raleigh resident, is going to capture the Democratic presidential nomination, he will to have to step over New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

If state Treasurer Richard Moore, a current Raleigh resident, is going to be the Democratic nominee for governor, he will to have to displace Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.

Jim Neal, the Chapel Hill investment banker, might be in the same place. He might have to raise doubts about state Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro if he is going to capture the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination. If he gets past Hagan, there is Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

"When you are behind, you need to be aggressive and be on the offensive and push the envelope," said Andy Taylor, an N.C. State University political science professor. "We've seen that especially with the presidential race.

"The question is," Taylor said, "how do you do it when your opponent is a woman?"

Criticizing female candidates is a tricky business, although perhaps not as delicate as it was a couple of decades ago. We've had relatively few women holding high office. Clinton is seeking to become the first female American president, while Perdue is trying to become North Carolina's first female governor.

Edwards has emerged as Clinton's chief critic, accusing her of "double talk."

He has criticized her for wanting to leave combat troops in Iraq, for voting for a resolution declaring the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization and for being a "corporate Democrat" who doesn't represent real change in Washington.

The criticism by Edwards and other Democratic hopefuls prompted her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to remark, "Those boys have been getting tough on her lately."

So far, Bob Eaves, Perdue's husband, has not made a similar complaint.

But Perdue's campaign has accused Moore of running a "scorched-earth" campaign. Moore's campaign has been portraying Perdue as having flip-flopped on abortion, the death penalty and other issues.

If Edwards and Moore are going to win, they will have to peel away some of the female supporters of Clinton and Perdue. But they are going to have to do it without offending large groups of female voters.

Helping Edwards are his wife, Elizabeth, and his daughter Cate, both of whom have been campaigning. At a campaign appearance last week, Noel Moore was at her husband's side. Expect to see more of that.

But don't expect either John Edwards or Richard Moore to lay down their cloaks so that Clinton and Perdue can avoid any mud puddles.