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Even though the latest poll shows Democrat Walter Dalton pulling closer to frontrunner Pat McCrory, one questions hangs over his flagging campaign: Could Gov. Bev Perdue have done better?

Dome posed the question to six political consultants and pundits. Read their thoughts below and questions about whether Democrats ever had a chance. 

President Bill Clinton is trying to give Democrat Walter Dalton a last minute boost in the governor's race. The former commander-in-chief recorded a robocall for Dalton that went to a "large universe of registered voters who have not yet voted statewide," a spokesman said.

Libertarian candidate Barbara Howe is airing a new TV ad that asks voters to "make a statement" and reject the two major parties in the governor's race.

The 30-second spot features three people who express frustration with the two major political parties before cutting to the candidate. "Libertarians takes the best the other two parties have to offer," Howe says.

The two major-party candidates for governor both stress close connections between education and business but approach the question of improving education from different angles. Democrat Walter Dalton would extend already established paths, while Republican Pat McCrory’s education proposals have the potential to remake the state’s public education system from kindergarten through college.

Read about education in the governor's race, the third installment in a series, and see a graphic of how the plans stack up.

More political headlines:

--On Tuesday, it will be four weeks before the Nov. 6 elections – let the countdown begin. We have had our first debates, more ads than you can shake a stick at, and more than a few motorcades. Read Rob Christensen's tutorial on what to expect in the closing month.

Mayor Anthony Foxx issued a condemning critique of his predecessor, Pat McCrory, Wednesday, urging N.C. delegates at the convention to pay attention to "the most important race we are not talking about right now."

"We have got to get out and work for this man," Foxx said of Walter Dalton, the Democratic candidate.

Republican legislative leaders are in tune with the concerns of Democrat Gene Conti, who complained this week that he is underpaid as the state’s transportation secretary.

That’s why they amended the state budget this year to give North Carolina’s next governor new power to set salaries for non-elected state department heads.

“These agencies have gotten huge in terms of budget and responsibility,” said state Sen. Richard Stevens of Cary, one of the Senate’s chief budget-writers.

An unknown candidate for governor is asking all the other candidates to drop out of the race and save their time.

"I think that I'm better qualified," said Gary Dunn, a Matthews resident and 58-year-old UNC-Charlotte student. "I didn't think it would be a fair fight so I asked them to drop out. It may be bold  but that's how I feel."

UPDATED: Gary Dunn -- a largely unknown Democratic candidate for governor -- will get his five minutes in the spotlight Saturday.

The Matthews resident is scheduled to speak at the N.C. Democratic Party's fundraiser in Charlotte on St. Patrick's Day, an event featuring retiring Gov. Bev Perdue. Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and state Rep. Bill Faison will also appear and give remarks after they paid to attend the event, as did Dunn. (Former Congressman Bob Etheridge is not expected at the fundraiser.)

It's the first campaign event for Dunn, who ran for governor in 1992 as a Republican. See this WECT-TV interview with Dunn to learn more about him, or check out his Facebook page, where the photo above first appeared.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton will launch his campaign for governor next week with a statewide tour.

It will start Tuesday in Durham where Dalton will tout the endorsement of Mayor Bill Bell, a prominent African-American Democrat. The tour next moves to Greensboro before stopping in a number of other major North Carolina cities after Dalton files his candidacy paperwork early next week.

North Carolina's governor's race consistently ranked as one of the most competitive in the nation for the past year. And despite Gov. Bev Perdue's departure, The Washington Post says it remains the one most likely to switch parties this election year.

"From the primary to the general election, it all translates to a contest that was and will continue to be the marquee governor’s race of November, perhaps even more so after Perdue’s exit," writes the Post's Aaron Blake. 

Read the full analysis at the newspaper's political blog here.