Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich opened his North Carolina presidential primary effort Wednesday, saying he planned to focus much of his attention in the coming weeks on a state that rescued the career of Ronald Reagan in 1976.
Faced with increasing calls for him fold his tent, Gingrich said he planned to stay in the contest in the hope of forcing an open convention in Tampa in August. "Romney is clearly the front-runner, but he has not locked down the nomination," Gingrich said in an interview, referring to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. "North Carolina could play the same role of turning things around that it did in 1976 for Reagan." More here.
In other headlines:
--Gov. Bev Perdue called on a N.C. Central University crowd to call lawmakers to demand better funding for all levels of education.
--Medicaid payments for personal services will continue after the federal government gave the state more time to comply with rules.
