Pat McCrory would be the first Republican governor since 1993 ... if he'd run in 2012.

That's the take of regular Dome reader Lee P., the first entrant in our "You Are the Pundit" contest. Here's the rest of his analysis on the gubernatorial race:

McCrory's seven terms as mayor make him eminently qualified.

The Queen City is consistently ranked one of the best places to live. His light rail project is successful, and ground's been broken on the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Despite Democratic misinformation, Charlotte doesn't have the state's highest taxes. And unlike his rival, he has a viable solution for rising gas prices.

Republicans have their most exciting gubernatorial candidate in years, but it may not be enough.

McCrory's opponent, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, is a classic Raleigh insider and the right-hand woman to Gov. Mike Easley since 2000. She embodies everything McCrory is running against. Voters are outraged over $60 cheeseburgers and embarrassing public displays, and the trials (no pun intended) of disgraced House Speaker Jim Black and expelled Rep. Thomas Wright.

Still, McCrory couldn't have picked a worse year.

If he loses, it won't be because he's from Charlotte, or North Carolina prefers Democratic governors, or Perdue has better name recognition. The odds are against him because of Barack Obama. Democratic turnout, especially among African-American voters, will shatter records.

This is terrible news for down-ballot Republicans, even a candidate as good as McCrory.

Disagree? Send your take to dome@newsobserver.com.

Have you always wanted to be a talking head?

Do you long to have the chyron list you as a "Republican strategist" or "Democratic analyst" on the Sunday morning talk shows? Do you dream of having your two-sentence distillation of the current political scene quoted in the papers?

Now's your chance.

Write a brief analysis of one of the major races in North Carolina right now — the fight for the state's electoral votes, the Senate or the governor, and we'll post it. Includes links to relevant Dome posts or other information on the Internet to back up your points. Do not exceed 250 words.

Try to ground your analysis in facts (e.g. past record of parties in that race, polling data, voter turnout, etc.) Bullet points would be awesome. Include some counterbalancing forces or potential drawbacks to your favored candidate.

E-mail the analysis to dome@newsobserver.com. Include a name we could identify you with, either your full name, a first name or some other handle. We'll post the best analyses (or, if we don't get a flood, all of them) on Dome.

Note: Political types who are working on that race are disqualified, though volunteers are OK. Transparent hack jobs clearly ghostwritten by the campaigns will be thrown out if we figure them out. Confidential to FFC: Don't bother.