Why did Beverly Perdue beat Richard Moore?

In a primary election as unusual as this one, it's dangerous to get too confident when drawing conclusions, but here are a few educated guesses about how Perdue won the primary today.

She was the frontrunner. As a two-term lieutenant governor and longtime legislator with a bevy of endorsements from big groups, Perdue was the favorite from the start and Moore never managed to knock her down.

She had good issues. Perdue had a good portfolio on both soft issues (health care, education) and hard issues (the military). Moore's issues were more national (climate change, Wall Street reform) and wonky (the line-item veto, transportation reform).

She benefited from high turnout. Perdue had strong support among women and black voters, two groups that were energized by the unusually competitive presidential primary between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

She went positive. Perdue and Moore both ran nasty campaigns through the fall, but Perdue went positive just as most voters started paying attention. That endeared her to Obama's "change" voters, won points for gutsiness and made Moore's attacks look bad.

She had fewer enemies. Moore manages the state pension fund? State employees sue him. Moore crusades on Wall Street? Forbes magazine attacks his campaign funding. Moore makes his case on education? The N.C. Association of Educators attacks him.

Moore never succeeded in opening any daylight between his campaign and Perdue's. When he endorsed Obama, she endorsed Obama. When he called for raising the minimum wage, opposed coal plants at Cliffside, etc. etc., so did she.

With the wind at her back from turnout, endorsements and expectations, Perdue managed to stay in the lead throughout the primary despite early missteps.

Gary Pearce says Richard Moore is on the attack.

On his Talking About Politics blog, the Democratic political consultant writes that Moore's campaign for the gubernatorial nomination has gone on the offensive against Beverly Perdue.

He notes that Moore is challenging Perdue's decision not to debate and "doing all he can to tie himself to Barack Obama," even attending an Obama rally in Fayetteville.

Pearce says it's unusual for a Democratic candidate for governor to "cling so tightly" to a Democratic presidential candidate.

Meantime, she's making it hard for him to put any daylight between them.

Perdue’s strategy has been to never let Moore get to the left of her. When he opposed Duke Energy's Cliffside plant, she opposed it. When he endorsed Obama, she endorsed Obama. He called for raising the minimum wage (a Democratic primary perennial), so she called for raising the minimum wage.

Pearce says Moore has "taken heart" from a recent poll showing him catching up to Perdue.

Duke Energy will soon offer carbon offsets.

The North Carolina power company will allow customers to voluntarily pay more for their electricity, with the additional money used to promote renewable energy sources such as wind farms or other activities, such as planting trees.

Georgia-based green marketing firm Sterling Planet could be a partner.

The program is part of the company's attempt to recast itself as environmentally friendly, especially after a bruising fight with environmentalists over a planned coal power plant in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains.

Duke's proposal would be an expansion of the existing N.C. GreenPower program, which allows customers to buy renewable energy. (Char-O) 

Beverly Perdue called for no more coal plants in North Carolina.

As part of an energy plan released Monday, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate said that the recently approved Cliffside coal plant near Charlotte should be the "end of an era," the Charlotte Observer reports.

No new coal plants are currently planned, however. Progress Energy imposed a two-year moratorium on coal plants last May.

And on Monday, Duke Energy's CEO says he won't build any more coal-fired power plants here.

At the Emerging Issues Forum, Jim Rogers said any future plants would have to offer technology that stores carbon dioxide emissions underground—something not available in North Carolina because of its geology, the Observer .

"That plant is just a step, a transition," Rogers told the audience. "We need it now to make that transformation to a low-carbon world."

Instead, Rogers said the company will likely build coal plants in the Midwest and nuclear plants in the South and transmit the electricity back here.

Protesters greeted attendees of the Emerging Issues Forum.

Just outside the front door of N.C. State's McKimmon Center, a small group of members of environmental group N.C. WARN held signs saying "Dupe Energy."

Another sign was specifically aimed at Duke Energy head Jim Rogers. "Cancel Cliffside" it pleaded.

The Cliffside coal-fired power plant was recently given final approval by state regulators, though environmentalists have argued it will contribute to global warming and air pollution in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

At the door, N.C. WARN members handed out a one-page memo headlined "Green-Scam Alert."

It argued that Duke has "misled the public, media and elected leaders" on its concerns about global warming as well as the environmental impacts of the Cliffside plant. 

This year's forum is focusing on global warming and energy conservation. 

Dan Besse said the state made a mistake approving a new coal plant.

Earlier today, state regulators gave Duke Energy final approval to build a new power plant at Cliffside, about miles west of Charlotte that environmentalists have said will contribute to air pollution in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and global warming.

The Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor told Dome that the the Division of Air Quality's argument that closing older units and offsetting the emissions will reduce pollutants is wrong. 

"Even if Duke were to follow through by offsetting the carbon emissions of the new large unit by closing a couple of additional plants or buying trade credits, the onstruction of the new unit still creates a large unnecessary net increase to our total greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

He said regulators have "fallen down on the job." 

Beverly Perdue says the Cliffside coal plant can wait.

The Democratic gubernatorial candidate said the state Division of Air Quality should wait to approve a permit requested by Duke Energy for an 800-megawatt coal-fired plant in the Blue Ridge foothills.

Environmentalists are concerned the plant could lead to air pollution in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park and contribute to global warming. 

"North Carolina's priority must be on creating long-range goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a focus on increasing energy efficiency and conservation," she said. 

Perdue also said she would work for a "green economy" as governor. 

Previously: Richard Moore calls for delay on Cliffside.  

Richard Moore says the Cliffside coal plant can wait.

The Democratic gubernatorial candidate said today that state air quality regulators should wait to issue a permit for a new coal-fire plant.

"North Carolina should focus on new, efficient energy choices and conservation rather than building more high polluting, coal fired power plants,” he said in a statement.  "This type of plant should be a last resort, not a first option."

Moore argued that carbon dioxide emissions from the plant could contribute to global warming and damage air quality in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Duke Energy plans to build the 800-megawatt coal-fired plant in the Blue Ridge foothills, but it needs a permit from the state Division of Air Quality.

Hampton Dellinger opposes a coal-fired power plant near Charlotte.

The Raleigh attorney, who is running for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, said in a statement e-mailed to reporters that the proposed Cliffside plant would hurt air quality in the Great Smoky Mountains.

"There is no overriding reason to grant a state permit now, and plenty of good reasons not to," he said in a statement.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Dan Besse and Pat Smathers also oppose the plant.

State Sen. Walter Dalton supported Duke Energy's initial plan to build the plants, and his campaign released a statement saying he stands by that decision.

"The new plant at Cliffside will be much more efficient and will burn cleaner coal," he said.