Who got more votes in 2004?

Both Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore, were on the ballot in statewide races that year.

According to results from the State Board of Elections, Perdue got 1,888,397 votes in the lieutenant governor's race, while Moore got 1,812,201 votes in the state treasurer's race.

Advantage: Perdue, by 76,196 votes.

That's largely because her office has a higher profile. Among the dozen statewide offices on the ballot that year, the race for lieutenant governor had the fourth most votes cast—just below those cast for president, governor and senator.

The treasurer's race, by contrast, was ninth, just above the contests for labor commisisoner, superintendent of public instruction and state auditor.

Put another way, 73,650 fewer people voted in the treasurer's race.

On a percentage basis, Perdue is still slightly ahead. The biggest margins for winners that year went to Insurance Commissioner Jim Long, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, President George W. Bush, Gov. Mike Easley and Attorney General Roy Cooper.

At 55.6 percent, Perdue had the sixth largest margin, while Moore had the seventh with 54.5 percent.

A complicating factor: A Libertarian candidate received 56,638 votes, or 1.7 percent in the lieutenant governor's race, but no third-party candidate ran for treasurer. 

Beverly Perdue's freshman initiatives focused on health care.

As a first-term representative in the state legislature, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate obtained funding for senior citizens' nutrition and education programs, a semiautomated defibrillator for Pamlico County’s rescue squad and Craven County’s board on aging.

In all, she sponsored 33 bills in the 1987-88 session of the state House of Representatives, of which 26 were adopted.

She secured more than $3,000 for three education initiatives, a Lenoir County’s Boys and Girls Club, a drug and alcohol abuse education program and a service pairing children of single-parent families with adult mentors.

Perdue also helped decorate Craven County ambulances. She co-sponsored a successful bill to add the word “Craven” to the side of county ambulances.

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's office released a statement on the auditor's report:

"This office has endeavored to maintain an appropriate division between state-related business and campaign activity. We appreciate the recommendations and insights of the Auditor's office. We have taken action to respond to the concerns that were raised and will continue to do our best to maintain an appropriate division of activity."

The statement came from Perdue's chief of staff, Don Hobart.

Dennis Wicker said the lieutenant governor needs security.

The former lieutenant governor, who served from 1993 to 2001, said he had a State Highway Patrol detail during his entire time in office. The patrolman was with him most of the time and served as a driver when he went on official business.

He said he had a few "minor incidents" that required security. 

"When you were out there in Hight Point or Wilson and somebody would recognize you and come up and start saying the things they did, you felt vulnerable," he told Dome. "The security folks stepped right in and took care of the problem."

When Wicker was running for re-election and in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, his campaign reimbursed the Highway Patrol for the cost of providing security. He also hired a retired patrolman to serve as his campaign driver.

Still, there were a few times when he asked not to have security.

"When you're going to a class reunion, you don't want a highway patrolman walking around with you," he said. 

Earlier: Former lieutenant governor says job needs security.