The political season has reached a fever pitch in Raleigh with the primary election now less than a week away. Pollsters and pundits are making their predictions, candidates are crisscrossing the state, and campaign managers and political consultants are talking about everything from baseball caps bearing the confederate flag to suspending the state and federal gas taxes.
The latest skirmish in the Democratic gubernatorial primary comes over revelations that Doug Fox, the Chair of the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission, hosted what appeared to be a fundraiser for Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue. News accounts said the event came two months after a liquor industry executive was raising money for Perdue by telling potential donors that Perdue would reappoint Fox to his post and that he would be friendly to the industry.
Perdue called the event a meet and greet and Fox didn't want to talk about it. Officials with the campaign of State Treasurer Richard Moore jumped on the story, demanding that Perdue declare publicly that she would not reappoint Fox if she is elected.
It is not the first time that allegations about the influence of campaign donors have come up. Before Perdue found her positivity side, she routinely criticized Moore for accepting contributions from Wall Street firms that do business the with state investment portfolio managed by the State Treasurer's office.
A member of the State Board of Transportation resigned after an email revealed that he was raising money for Perdue from people involved with the Randy Parton theater fiasco in Roanoke Rapids.
None of this has much to do with the struggles faced everyday by millions of people in the North Carolina, like figuring out how to pay for child care, see a doctor, or find a safe, decent place to live that they can afford.
But the campaign finance controversies do serve as a reminder of who politicians might work for after the election is over, the folks who write the big checks and host the fundraisers at the local country club.
The latest campaign reports came in this week and while they have not prompted another mini scandal yet, they provide plenty of evidence that the system that funds elections itself a scandal.
Perdue has raised $1.7 million since the first of the year, Moore just over $1 million. Both received a significant percentage of their contributions from out of state donors. Perdue raked in more than $330,000 from non North Carolinians, Moore just over $175,000, including more than $100,000 from either New York or New Jersey, the center of the Wall Street world.
Nice of all those folks across the country to help us figure out who our next governor should be. Surely it's all because all the people from Hollywood and Wall Street care about us and have only our best interests at heart.
Same for the folks who run the PACs too, and the people making last minute appeals to their wealthy friends. And even all that is not enough. If you want to be governor, you need more than wealthy friends, you need some big money in your own bank account.
Perdue's report shows that she loaned her campaign $500,000 in the first quarter of this year. Moore loaned his campaign $900,000 in April. Just like we all would do if we needed the money.
It is not unique to Democrats of course. The leading Republican candidates have loaned themselves big money too and raised it from wealthy donors, some of the same ones that give to Democrats, hedging their bets like a seasoned gambler at the track.
Late next Wednesday night we will know who received the most votes in the battle to be the next governor, but we already know who won and whose calls will be returned first after the election.
