Governor Pat McCrory is relatively new to Raleigh but is an old hand at politics.
He was first elected to the Charlotte City Council in 1989. He went on to serve for fourteen years as the mayor of North Carolina’s largest city. McCrory first ran for governor against Beverly Perdue, but lost in 2008.
Four years later, he ran again, and won. It was the first time since Reconstruction that North Carolina had both a Republican governor and GOP majorities in both houses.
Since then, North Carolina’s head of state and lawmakers have sought to reform public education, health care, election law, the tax code, and made national news along the way. In short, it has been a dramatic first two years for the McCrory administration.
Capitol Bureau Chief Jessica Jones sat down with Governor McCrory for a one-on-one interview yesterday afternoon at the Old Capitol building.
For part 2 of the interview, click here.