Beverly Perdue says mental health is not separate from physical health.

In response to a post earlier this morning, spokesman David Kochman said that she was not saying that mental health and physical health are different things during a debate at WRAL last night.

"To clarify, Bev was talking about her responsibilities as chair of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund not extending to mental health," he wrote Dome. "In most of North Carolina's policy discussions, mental health has been cordoned off in its own separate category. But she's the one candidate who has repeatedly said that the only way to fix the system is to stop treating mental and physical healthcare as two separate systems."

He pointed to a section of Perdue's campaign Web site that echoes this thought.

"My background in health care tells me that it makes no sense to separate mental from physical health care," Perdue says on the site.

Later in the day, Republicans also pointed to the same section to criticize Perdue.

"Which is it, Bev?" said N.C. GOP chairwoman Linda Daves in a statement. "Is there a difference between mental health care and physical health care or not?"

Check your political calendar: It's the silly equinox.

Political reporters sometimes refer to the time of year when campaigns begin reaching (and overreaching) for offenses from their rivals as "the silly season."

After hitting a high in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, it's cooled off a bit. But the leaves are turning in the general election campaign.

Today, Republican nominee Pat McCrory's campaign sent out a press release noting that Will Matthews, a junior-level aide to Democrat Beverly Perdue, donated $50 to attend a fundraiser last night in Sanford, even writing on the memo line of his check "for the future of North Carolina."

"I am giving this young man the benefit of the doubt," said Campaign Manager Richard Hudson in a statement. "Surely he wasn't engaging in campaign dirty tricks when he attended our fundraiser with a tape recorder."

Perdue spokesman David Kochman said they had a good reason.

"Pat McCrory has a habit of taking different positions in front of different groups, so he went to hear what Pat would say in a room of Republican donors," he said. 

A Republican group has moved quickly to take advantage of a change in election laws to raise money from well-heeled contributors across the country to help elect Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory as North Carolina's next governor.

The Republican Governors Association has set up a North Carolina political action committee and raised nearly $390,000 for the "RGA North Carolina PAC" in less than three months, Dan Kane reports.

Most of it has come from a handful of contributors who have shown little or no interest in North Carolina politics in the past. Contributors include top executives of the Coors Brewing Co. in Colorado and the Curves fitness center chain based in Waco, Tex.

The PAC's biggest contributor is James L. Barksdale of Ridgeland, Miss., the former chief executive officer of Netscape. He gave $100,000.

McCrory has made a centerpiece of his campaign changing the culture of state government, which he says is controlled by big-money special interests. But his campaign is welcoming the association's help.

"We certainly aren't concerned if business people from around the country are interested in this race," said Richard Hudson, McCrory's campaign manager. "Especially given the fact that labor union money and special interest money is going to be flowing into the Democratic party to support our opponent."

Democratic rival Beverly Perdue's campaign spokesman, David Kochman, said the McCrory campaign's acceptance of the PAC shows McCrory is not serious about campaign finance reform.

"I think it's ironic that a guy who claims he wants to change the political culture would be welcoming this type of activity," Kochman said.

Beverly Perdue says she raised $2.3 million during the second quarter.

In a campaign press release, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee said that she now has $1.4 million in cash on hand after fundraising between April 20 and June 30.

"Voters across North Carolina share Bev Perdue’s vision for world-class public schools, affordable health care, and economic opportunity for all North Carolina families," said spokesman David Kochman in a statement.

The campaign said that it had received money from 3,002 individual donors, including 1,500 first-time donors who gave a total of more than $830,000. It also claimed to have received donations from 95 different counties this quarter.

Kochman said the figures did not include any personal loans from Perdue or her husband.

At the end of the first quarter, Perdue had reported raising a total of $7.5 million in her race for the Executive Mansion. 

Campaign finance reports are not yet available. Perdue's Republican rival, Pat McCrory, has not issued a statement on his fundraising.

Pat McCrory says state Democrats are on a "fishing expedition."

The Republican gubernatorial nominee said today that the N.C. Democratic Party has filed a public records request for correspondence between the mayor, the city manager and his staff and three Charlotte businesses for the past 12 years.

In a press release sent out shortly before 5 p.m., the McCrory campaign says that City Attorney Mac McCarley estimated the request would cost "more than $100,000" and take "up to a thousand hours" of work to complete.

"I am disgusted by this fishing expedition being conducted by the North Carolina Democratic Party with the blessing of Beverly Perdue," McCrory said in a statement, calling it "dirty tricks."

Perdue spokesman David Kochman said they were aware of the records request and had no problem with it.

"One of the reasons we have campaigns is for voters to learn about candidates and the work they've done," he said. "I would hope that the mayor has nothing to hide. If that's the case, there shouldn't be any problem sharing more information about his record."

On the issue of cost, Kochman said that it's standard for a government body to charge reasonable costs to comply with a records request.

Update: McCrory spokeswoman Amy Auth said that the request was for correspondence related to two Charlotte-based companies, Bank of America and Duke Energy — where McCrory formerly worked — and U.S. Airways, which has a hub in Charlotte's airport.

She said he has nothing to hide.

"He will gladly compare his record to the rest of state leadership," she said.

Second Update: In its two requests, the Democratic Party offered to pay to defray the cost of copies up to $200, for a total of $400.

Third Update: McCarley, the city attorney, said this would be the biggest public records request in recent memory, topping a $100,000-plus request from an unsuccessful bidder on a city contract and a citizen who supported the unsuccessful effort to repeal the sales tax.

He said that the charge to the Democratic Party would probably be between $200 and $1,000 for the cost of copies, with the $100,000 figure referring to the cost of staff time, which can't be recouped. He said it will probably take "most of the summer" to comply.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore's latest ad contrasts his handling of the state pension fund with Beverly Perdue's business record, Ben Niolet reports.

What the ad says: Moore: "I'm Richard Moore, candidate for governor, and I sponsored this ad." Announcer: "A trusted manager, Democrat Richard Moore built the nation's second-best retirement fund. Governing magazine named Moore a public official of the year. And the boldest plan to fix our economy. And Bev Perdue's record? Her business paid taxes late 92 times. Perdue's business even had its license suspended after failure to pay state taxes. If Bev Perdue can't manage her own business, how can she manage the state?"

The background: As treasurer, Richard Moore oversees a $77 billion pension fund. That fund was ranked second this year by Standard & Poor’s in its ability to pay its obligations. Moore was one of Governing magazine’s Public Officials of 2004. He was cited for his pressure for reforms on Wall Street. The claim about Moore’s plan to stimulate the economy is subjective.

Perdue is part owner of Quail Woods Village in New Bern, a real estate development company. According to Craven County tax records, the company was delinquent on property taxes 92 times between 1997 and 2005. The delinquencies cost the business nearly $2,000 in interest and another $200 in fees.

David Kochman, a Perdue spokesman, said in e-mail that the company bought a large tract in Craven County and subdivided the tract into more than 80 smaller lots. Quail Woods was late in paying some of its property taxes because each tract had its own tax bill, Kochman said.

In 1996, the company did not file a tax return because it had no income, Kochman said. But the company was required to file a return because it owed a $210 franchise tax. The oversight led the secretary of state to suspend the business license for Quail Woods Village. Kochman said the business was not notified of a problem until 2004. The issue was resolved soon after, Kochman said.

Is the ad accurate? Yes. 

State Insurance Services is demanding Beverly Perdue pull a TV ad.

In the ad, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate says that state Treasurer Richard Moore awarded a contract to allow the company to market insurance products to state and local government retirees because its principals have raised money for his campaign.

The ad also says that retirees are being overcharged.

"It goes so far beyond being just misleading," said Allen Thomas, a Wilson lawyer and a principal of State Insurance Services. "I haven't found very much in here that's accurate." 

The company's attorney sent a "cease and desist" letter to Perdue's campaign Friday. They responded in an e-mail that the ad's run would end "early next week," but spokesman David Kochman said the campaign stands behind it.

"Richard Moore gave a sweetheart deal to his political contributors -- that's what this is about," he said. (N&O)

How has Public Policy Polling affected perceptions of the 2008 gubernatorial race?

The Raleigh polling firm has surveyed likely primary voters in the race between Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore since July of 2006, shortly after Attorney General Roy Cooper said he would not run.

Both campaigns say it has not affected their overall strategy, although they say the poll results are closely followed by political insiders.

"It's chatter," said Perdue's deputy campaign manager, David Kochman. "The chattering class of people who really talk politics day in and day out like to talk about these things, but I don't think it influences the race a whole lot."

He said "time will tell" whether the polls are accurate.

Moore's campaign manager, Jay Reiff, said that the polls can have an effect on fundraising, since donors are often among the "high-information insiders" reading about them.

He added that automated polls are good at "picking up movement" in high-profile races where the public is engaged, but there are limits to their value.

"It's kind of like buying a disposable camera," he said. "They probably have a fairly accurate picture of something that's happening, but at the end of the day if you want a really detailed look, you want to get a good Nikon."

Beverly Perdue is raising money in New York City today.

The Democratic gubernatorial candidate is in the Big Apple, according to Mark Binker's Capital Beat blog. He quotes an e-mail from Perdue spokesman David Kochman:

She went to New York to visit the White House Project, a national non-profit that helps elect women candidates. While she was there, she met with several Democratic donors, some of whom are in the financial industry.

Perdue has attacked rival Richard Moore, who as state treasurer manages the $77 billion pension fund for government employees, for accepting donations from Wall Street investment firms that help manage the fund.

The Perdue campaign also recently produced a Web video showing the New York addresses of some Moore supporters.

Contacted this afternoon by phone at her Washington, D.C., office, Perdue's fundraising consultant, Stephanie Berger said she knew nothing about the matter and referred further questions to the Perdue campaign. The campaign did not return phone and e-mail messages Wednesday afternoon.

Beverly Perdue continues to be vague when it comes to explaining what she meant by having "full disclosure" of fundraising activity for appointees to the Board of Transportation in a reform bill she championed 10 years ago.

Here's the latest explanation — out today — from the Democratic gubernatorial candidate's spokesman, David Kochman:

"As she said at the time and last week, that bill was just a starting point. There wasn’t much precedent in North Carolina for establishing this kind of special reporting requirements for an appointed body, so there certainly were some question marks about all of its ramifications, especially how far the law could go. Even with the (Attorney General's) interpretation, it was a first step forward and the bill was stronger than the version that passed the Republican House and came to the Senate. Now it's clearly time for the state to enact broader campaign finance reforms." 

That legal interpretation found that the reform law only required disclosure if a fundraiser personally handled contributions from donors, Dan Kane reports. Those who hold or sponsor fundraisers, or personally contact people to make contributions, would not have to disclose those activities.

Two of Gov. Mike Easley's appointees to the board, who either held receptions or contacted contributors, later said they were not fundraisers. One is now raising money for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore, while the other is a Perdue fundraiser.

Perdue has yet to say if the attorney general's interpretation represents what she intended, something more, or something less.