Feb 24, 2007 -  State Treasurer Richard Moore is in a pickle.
Moore is the two-term state treasurer. After all, nobody will vote in the Democratic primary contest for governor until May 6. But right now, events seem to be flowing in the direction of his rival, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.
Perdue, who is seeking to become the state's first female governor, leads Moore in most public opinions polls by about 10 percentage points.
Moore has spent $1 million on TV ads -- as has Perdue -- without cutting into Perdue's lead.
Perdue's standing is based, in part, on her strong showing among women and African-Americans. (The Perdue campaign recently sent tens of thousands of automatic telephone messages featuring former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton into black households.)
Perdue is playing the old Muhammad Ali rope-a-dope, avoiding debates likely to be seen by a large TV audience, and so denying her opponent any additional visibility.
Andy Taylor, a political scientist at N.C. State University, says Moore appears to be borrowing the strategy of Mike Easley in 2000 -- the last time there was an open Democratic primary for governor. Running as an outsider, Easley defeated Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker, portraying him as the insider. The Moore campaign has the same consultant Easley used -- Jay Reiff.  But Easley, who was then a two-term attorney general, was a genuine outsider. Even today, Easley is not a beloved figure in his own party.
Moore, having worked his way up the political ladder as a state legislator, crime control secretary and treasurer, has a harder time selling himself as an outsider.By Rob Christensen, News and Observer