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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.

In a crowded Democratic field for governor, only Erskine Bowles can match Republican Pat McCrory at this point, according to a poll released Monday.

Bowles, the former two-time U.S. Senate candidate, trails McCrory 44 to 42 percent in a hypothetical matchup -- a virtual deadlock with McCrory's advantage within the 4.2 percent margin of error. The problem: Bowles isn't in the race yet.

The Public Policy Polling survey tested 13 Democratic candidates against McCrory, the likely GOP nominee and former Charlotte mayor, after Gov. Bev Perdue dropped out. Pollster Tom Jensen argues that Democrats have a better chance with Perdue out of the race. In a generic partisan matchup, voters split evenly -- 46 percent supporting a Democratic candidates and 45 percent supporting a Republican. 

North Carolina Democrats could be forgiven if they were silently humming the Kenny Rogers standard, ''you picked a fine time to leave me Lucille" as they gathered in Greensboro today in the first post-Perdue announcement campaign event, Rob Christensen reports.

Gov Bev Perdue's surprise announcement last week that she would not seek re-election left the Democratic Party scrambling to find a nominee, creating a 100-day sprint to May 8th primary -- something that is highly unusual if not unprecedented in recent decades in North Carolina Democratic politics.

Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton was the first to jump in Thursday just hours after Perdue's announcement, and he was joined Saturday by state Rep. Bill Faison who announced his candidacy in Greensboro.