The Associated Press - Perdue Elected N. Carolina's First Female Governor

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The Associated Press - Perdue Elected N. Carolina's First Female Governor

Gary D. Robertson

The good ol' boys in coastal Craven County discouraged hospital administrator Bev Perdue from running for the state Legislature 22 years ago. They didn't think a woman could win in the rural district.

Perdue ran anyway, and won, starting a journey that has now carried her all the way to North Carolina's Executive Mansion.

Perdue, a Democrat, was elected North Carolina's first female governor by narrowly defeating Republican Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. She succeeds Democratic Gov. Mike Easley, who was barred by term limits from running for re-election.

"I'm all about breaking down glass ceilings," Perdue said recently. "I'm all about breaking down the status quo."

McCrory accused Perdue of being part of a "culture of corruption" within the Democrat-controlled state government. But Perdue promised a break from Easley's reclusive style and a return to the education and economic policies of her mentor, former four-term Gov. Jim Hunt.

Perdue, 61, struggled in the campaign's early goings, vowing to reform state government even as two Board of Transportation members who raised money for her campaign resigned in the wake of ethical accusations.

But she rebounded after running television ads questioning whether McCrory — seven-term mayor of the state's largest city — would favor urban residents over rural interests.

Born in rural southwest Virginia, Perdue was the daughter of a coal miner who went on to become a successful mine owner. She taught school before earning a doctorate at the University of Florida and becoming a hospital administrator in eastern North Carolina.

In the General Assembly, Perdue made her mark as the chief budget writer in the Senate, her saccharine voice masking a steely politician who pushed Hunt's top education initiatives.

In 2000, she was elected the state's first female lieutenant governor, leading efforts to protect the state's military installations during the latest round of base closings.

Perdue ran on a platform of offering free community college tuition to all students and providing health insurance to an estimated 300,000 uninsured children, largely through government-subsidized premiums.

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