Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue has picked up a big endorsement in the race for governor: Sheriff Taylor.

Andy Griffith appears in a new ad for Perdue in which he touts her vision, strength and honesty. He mentions her endorsements from groups that include, "of course, sheriffs."

"Oh, you're going to be a goooood governor," Griffith tells Perdue.

Griffith agreed to the ad after talking with Senate leader Marc Basnight and Basnight's nephew, fundraiser R.V. Owens, about it.

"Sen. Basnight spoke to Andy Griffith and told him why he thought Bev Perdue was the best choice for governor and Andy Griffith agreed," said Schorr Johnson, a spokesman for Basnight.

Griffith's support is serious business. In 2000, the actor helped Gov. Mike Easley get elected. Easley, then attorney general was the front runner early on, but saw his lead evaporating in the final weeks. Again, with Basnight's help, Grifffith agreed to cut a spot for Easley, which Democrats called "The Mayberry Miracle." Easley ran another Griffith ad in 2004.

Easley's opponent in the 2000 race, former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot doubted the ad changed the outcome of the election.

The Mayberry Miracle was engineered by Senate leader Marc Basnight.

In a May 20, 2001, profile, N&O reporter Rob Christensen wrote that the Manteo Democrat and his nephew and fundraiser, R.V. Owens, orchestrated the last-minute TV ad featuring Andy Griffith that helped Gov. Mike Easley win the 2000 election.

Here's the story:

It was Owens and Basnight who sealed the election for Easley and worked what came to be called the Mayberry miracle by bringing in North Carolina legend and old family friend Andy Griffith to film a commercial endorsing Easley. Basnight also got Griffith to make radio commercials for Democratic Senate candidates that ran on small Christian radio stations in hotly contested conservative districts.

Basnight also did a favor for Griffith, helping him get a personal visit from regulators to see whether environmental agencies would permit the actor to dredge a channel to the dock at his Manteo home.