Bev Perdue
Encyclopedia
Beverly Eaves "Bev" Perdue (born January 14, 1947) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party
currently serving as the 73rd Governor
of the U.S. state
of North Carolina
. She is the first female governor of North Carolina.
Perdue started her political career in the 1980s, serving in the North Carolina House of Representatives. She then served 5 terms in the North Carolina Senate before she was elected as the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
. Perdue was elected to the office of Governor of North Carolina in 2008 against then-Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory by a 50-46 margin, and is highly expected to face McCrory again in her bid for a second term in 2012. Her 2008 gubernatorial campaign went under State and Federal investigation, and was fined $30,000, but the Perdue Committee was later cleared of wrongdoing. When Hillary Clinton dropped out of the 2008 presidential race The New York Times
mentioned Perdue as a potential future presidential candidate.
to Alfred P. and Irene Morefield Moore in 1947. Her father was a coal miner who became a utility CEO. She earned a B.A.
degree in history in 1969 from the University of Kentucky
, as well as a M.Ed.
degree in community college administration in 1974 and a Ph.D.
, degree in Education Administration in 1976, both from the University of Florida
.
from 1987 to 1991, and in the North Carolina Senate
from 1991 to 2001. During her last three terms in the Senate, she served as a senior budget writer and was the first woman to hold this position. While she was in office, the General Assembly increased teacher pay and passed Governor Hunt's
Excellent Schools Act and Smart Start
. Additionally, she led the debate that created North Carolina's Clean Water Management Trust Fund.
. As lieutenant governor, Perdue's most significant act was casting the tie-breaking vote that established the North Carolina Education Lottery
.
. On October 22, 2007, pro-choice
Emily's List
endorsed her campaign.
On May 6, 2008, Perdue won the Democratic nomination for Governor, defeating State Treasurer Richard H. Moore
and Dennis Nielsen
.
Perdue raised $15 million for the general election and ran ads against her Republican opponent, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, criticizing him for not being tough enough on illegal immigration
.
Despite a national Democratic tide and Perdue's fundraising edge, in the general election campaign McCrory led Perdue at first; Perdue slowly gained as the Democratic candidate. Perdue and McCrory remained close, with the two often polling in a statistical tie in what was the closest race for governor in the nation. Perdue ran slightly behind her opponent in polls released the week before the election. Pundits speculated that Perdue was hurt by current Democratic Governor Mike Easley
's decreasing popularity and McCrory's efforts to tag her as part of the Political corruption
in Raleigh
: consultants mentioned Perdue's "difficulty of being the candidate of continuity in a change election."
While McCrory received the endorsement of most major newspapers in the state (which typically endorse Democrats), Perdue received the endorsement of actor and director Andy Griffith
, who filmed a campaign ad on her behalf.
Perdue defeated McCrory on November 4, 2008, 50.3 % to 46.9 %.
. She will be up for re-election for a second term in 2012.
Criminal investigations
On October 22, 2010, Perdue revealed that her 2008 campaign was under State and Federal investigation. Less than a month after Perdue revealed her own investigation, her predecessor, Mike Easley
, became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony.
Federal authorities looked into 41 confirmed private flights Perdue took dating back to 2005, which her campaign did not report until 2009. The state Board of Elections in August fined Perdue's campaign $30,000 for the flights aboard campaign donors' planes but concluded that the Perdue Committee did not intentionally violate the law. Perdue and representatives of her campaign have maintained that there was never any intent to conceal the flights, some of which might have violated state limits on contributions to candidates. Rather, they have said, the campaign had "a flawed system for recording flights," and the trips were not discovered until an audit of campaign records was conducted in 2009.
After the election Peter Reichard, a Greensboro businessman who served as the Perdue campaign's finance director, was charged with obstruction of justice. Reichard has been a key player in the gubernatorial campaigns of Perdue and her predecessor, Mike Easley, both Democrats. Reichard served as Easley's finance director for his 2000 gubernatorial campaign.
Political positions
Perdue's Senate record followed the lines of the Democratic caucus. As a member of the Board of Community Colleges, she voted against allowing illegal immigrants to attend the schools even if they graduated from a North Carolina high school. She had previously said she would admit every high school graduate to community college tuition
-free. In late February and early March 2009, she announced that $87 million from the educational lottery would be used to ensure there is money available for the state's day-to-day operations.
In her first use of the veto
power, Gov. Perdue vetoed a bill that would have made various documents that lawmakers use in drafting legislation confidential.
She also vetoed a bill that would have required voters to show photo ID before casting their ballots.
Remarks about suspending Congressional elections
On September 27, 2011, Perdue jokingly introduced the idea of suspending the Congressional
elections. She told the Cary
Rotary Club, "You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election." Her press secretary
later claimed that the statement was intended as a joke.. Audio of the speech was subsequently released.
Hurricane Irene
Governor Purdue oversaw the state's preparation and response to Hurricane Irene in 2011 It was seen by some political observers as a defining moment of her tenure.
. Before entering politics, she worked as a hospital administrator and consultant.
Perdue lives in Chapel Hill
and formerly lived in New Bern. She has been married to Bob Eaves since 1997 and has two grown sons, Garrett (b. 1976) and Emmett (b. 1979), from her previous marriage to Gary Perdue, which lasted from 1970 to 1994. She continues to use "Perdue" as her last name, using her current married name as her middle name.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
currently serving as the 73rd Governor
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
of the U.S. state
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. She is the first female governor of North Carolina.
Perdue started her political career in the 1980s, serving in the North Carolina House of Representatives. She then served 5 terms in the North Carolina Senate before she was elected as the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
The Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina is the second highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government...
. Perdue was elected to the office of Governor of North Carolina in 2008 against then-Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory by a 50-46 margin, and is highly expected to face McCrory again in her bid for a second term in 2012. Her 2008 gubernatorial campaign went under State and Federal investigation, and was fined $30,000, but the Perdue Committee was later cleared of wrongdoing. When Hillary Clinton dropped out of the 2008 presidential race The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
mentioned Perdue as a potential future presidential candidate.
Early life and education
Beverly Marlene Moore was born in Grundy, VirginiaGrundy, Virginia
Grundy is a town in Buchanan County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,105 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Buchanan County. The town is noted for its educational institutions and their role in the town's economic rebirth. In the past, the town served as a stopover for Union...
to Alfred P. and Irene Morefield Moore in 1947. Her father was a coal miner who became a utility CEO. She earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in history in 1969 from the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, as well as a M.Ed.
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
degree in community college administration in 1974 and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, degree in Education Administration in 1976, both from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
.
State legislature
Perdue, a Democrat, served in the North Carolina House of RepresentativesNorth Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
from 1987 to 1991, and in the North Carolina Senate
North Carolina Senate
The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...
from 1991 to 2001. During her last three terms in the Senate, she served as a senior budget writer and was the first woman to hold this position. While she was in office, the General Assembly increased teacher pay and passed Governor Hunt's
Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician who was the 69th and 71st Governor of the state of North Carolina . He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history.-Early life:...
Excellent Schools Act and Smart Start
Smart Start (education)
Smart Start is a North Carolina public-private initiative, founded in 1993, that provides funding to local non-profit organizations throughout the state to "ensure that young children enter school healthy and ready to succeed". Smart Start funding supports child care, efforts to reduce the cost of...
. Additionally, she led the debate that created North Carolina's Clean Water Management Trust Fund.
Lieutenant Governor
In 2000, she defeated Republican Betsy Cochrane for the lieutenant governor's seat, becoming North Carolina's first female lieutenant governor; she was re-elected to a second term in 2004North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2004
The North Carolina gubernatorial election of 2004 was held on 2 November 2004. The general election was fought between the and the Democrat incumbent Mike Easley and the Republican nominee Patrick J. Ballantine. Easley won by 52% to 46%, winning his second term as...
. As lieutenant governor, Perdue's most significant act was casting the tie-breaking vote that established the North Carolina Education Lottery
North Carolina Education Lottery
The North Carolina Education Lottery is run by the government of North Carolina. It was established after Gov. Mike Easley signed the North Carolina State Lottery Act and the 2005 Appropriations Act....
.
2008 gubernatorial election
Perdue announced her 2008 candidacy for governor on October 1, 2007 at her hometown, New Bern, North CarolinaNew Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
. On October 22, 2007, pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
Emily's List
EMILY's List
EMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....
endorsed her campaign.
On May 6, 2008, Perdue won the Democratic nomination for Governor, defeating State Treasurer Richard H. Moore
Richard H. Moore
Richard Hancock Moore was the North Carolina State Treasurer from 2001–2009. He first elected to that post in 2000 and re-elected in 2004.-Career:...
and Dennis Nielsen
Dennis Nielsen
Dennis Nielsen is a retired United States Air Force Colonel and was a Democratic candidate for Governor of North Carolina in 2008. Nielsen was part of the rescue effort of the United Airlines Flight 232 crash in Sioux City, Iowa in 1989....
.
Perdue raised $15 million for the general election and ran ads against her Republican opponent, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, criticizing him for not being tough enough on illegal immigration
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
.
Despite a national Democratic tide and Perdue's fundraising edge, in the general election campaign McCrory led Perdue at first; Perdue slowly gained as the Democratic candidate. Perdue and McCrory remained close, with the two often polling in a statistical tie in what was the closest race for governor in the nation. Perdue ran slightly behind her opponent in polls released the week before the election. Pundits speculated that Perdue was hurt by current Democratic Governor Mike Easley
Mike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
's decreasing popularity and McCrory's efforts to tag her as part of the Political corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
: consultants mentioned Perdue's "difficulty of being the candidate of continuity in a change election."
While McCrory received the endorsement of most major newspapers in the state (which typically endorse Democrats), Perdue received the endorsement of actor and director Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
, who filmed a campaign ad on her behalf.
Perdue defeated McCrory on November 4, 2008, 50.3 % to 46.9 %.
Tenure as Governor
Perdue was sworn in as the 73rd Governor of North Carolina on January 10, 2009, succeeding Governor Mike EasleyMike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
. She will be up for re-election for a second term in 2012.
Criminal investigations
On October 22, 2010, Perdue revealed that her 2008 campaign was under State and Federal investigation. Less than a month after Perdue revealed her own investigation, her predecessor, Mike Easley
Mike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
, became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony.
Federal authorities looked into 41 confirmed private flights Perdue took dating back to 2005, which her campaign did not report until 2009. The state Board of Elections in August fined Perdue's campaign $30,000 for the flights aboard campaign donors' planes but concluded that the Perdue Committee did not intentionally violate the law. Perdue and representatives of her campaign have maintained that there was never any intent to conceal the flights, some of which might have violated state limits on contributions to candidates. Rather, they have said, the campaign had "a flawed system for recording flights," and the trips were not discovered until an audit of campaign records was conducted in 2009.
After the election Peter Reichard, a Greensboro businessman who served as the Perdue campaign's finance director, was charged with obstruction of justice. Reichard has been a key player in the gubernatorial campaigns of Perdue and her predecessor, Mike Easley, both Democrats. Reichard served as Easley's finance director for his 2000 gubernatorial campaign.
Political positions
Perdue's Senate record followed the lines of the Democratic caucus. As a member of the Board of Community Colleges, she voted against allowing illegal immigrants to attend the schools even if they graduated from a North Carolina high school. She had previously said she would admit every high school graduate to community college tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
-free. In late February and early March 2009, she announced that $87 million from the educational lottery would be used to ensure there is money available for the state's day-to-day operations.
In her first use of the veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
power, Gov. Perdue vetoed a bill that would have made various documents that lawmakers use in drafting legislation confidential.
She also vetoed a bill that would have required voters to show photo ID before casting their ballots.
Remarks about suspending Congressional elections
On September 27, 2011, Perdue jokingly introduced the idea of suspending the Congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
elections. She told the Cary
Cary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
Rotary Club, "You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election." Her press secretary
Press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage....
later claimed that the statement was intended as a joke.. Audio of the speech was subsequently released.
Hurricane Irene
Governor Purdue oversaw the state's preparation and response to Hurricane Irene in 2011 It was seen by some political observers as a defining moment of her tenure.
Personal life
She is an EpiscopalianEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
. Before entering politics, she worked as a hospital administrator and consultant.
Perdue lives in Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
and formerly lived in New Bern. She has been married to Bob Eaves since 1997 and has two grown sons, Garrett (b. 1976) and Emmett (b. 1979), from her previous marriage to Gary Perdue, which lasted from 1970 to 1994. She continues to use "Perdue" as her last name, using her current married name as her middle name.
Electoral history
External links
- North Carolina Office of Governor Beverly Perdue official government site
- Bev Perdue for Governor official campaign website
- North Carolina Democratic Party
- News & Observer: Perdue announces bid for governor Mark Johnson, The News & Observer, October 1, 2007
- News & Observer: Perdue's Resumes, The News & Observer, October 9, 2007
- News & Observer: Perdue's inaugural address, The News & Observer, January 10, 2009