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State politicos are waiting for former UNC President Erskine Bowles to say whether he'll run for governor. 

With Gov. Bev Perdue bowing out of the race, other Democrats are weighing their chances against the soon-to-be-official GOP candidate, former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.

Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and state Rep. Bill Faison have already announced they are running. Public Policy Polling has Bowles as the strongest Democratic candidate. 

But Bowles, as he announced his retirement from the UNC presidency in 2010, said he'd never run for political office again. He ran for U.S. Senate twice and lost. 

"I have empirical data that I was a terrible politician," he said. 

State Rep. Bill Faison announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor today in Greensboro and said he had been biding his time until Gov. Beverly Perdue announced her decision not to run for another term.
Faison, from Orange County, charged that "a radical few in the Republican Party" have taken over the state's legislative agenda since the GOP took control of both houses of the Legislature in the 2010 election.
Emphasizing jobs and education and the connection between them, Faison said Democrats "have the right issue for the right reasons the right way."
He supported reinstating a penny sales tax add-on to help fund jobs recovery. The Legislature let the extra tax die earlier this year.
"We are used to raising money to help each other out" in difficult times like Hurricanes, Faison told an audience of reports in Greensboro, where the state Democratic party will hold its annual dinner tonight.
Faison said it does not make sense to let business leave the state, and it is important to find ways to keep them with better education.
Referring to Republicans, Faison said, "I've been traveling around the state calling on them to come up with programs that matter."
"Not only have I come up with a plan, but I'm here to implement that plan," Faison said.
He said he had expected an announcement by Perdue "between Jan. 15 and Feb. 1" and that plans for his candidacy are "right on schedule."
"We've got the issues people care about," Faison said. he said he expects to have 40 percent name recognition in polls by the end of February.

Gov. Bev Perdue does not have to worry about a threat in a Democratic primary, according to a new poll.

Perdue would defeat state Rep. Bill Faison by a 62-18 margin in a primary, according to a new survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic leaning firm based in Raleigh.

She has strong support in every segment in the party, the poll found, including 62 percent among those who consider themselves very liberal, 72 percent among those who are somewhat liberal, 61 percent among moderates, 59 percent among women, 67 percent among women, 58 percent among men,  68 percent among blacks, 54 percent with young voters, and 68 percent with seniors.

While Perdue trails likely Republican challenger Pat McCrory by a 47-42 percent margin, some of the other Democrats whose names have been bandied about as potential Perdue alternatives do not do any better.

Faison would start a race with McCrory down 45-30, while Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton would start a McCrory race down 46-32, according to the poll.

Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper would start a race with McCrory trailing by three points, 42-39, while former University of North Carolina president Erskine Bowles would start a race with McCrory tied at 42 percent.

The survey of 760 voters, including 353 Democratic voters, was conducted Sept. 30 to Oct. 3. The margin of error for the general election mandates is 3.6 percent and the margin of error for Democratic primary match-ups is plus or minus 5.2 percent.   

State Rep. Bill Faison of Orange County says he running re-election to his state House seat, but is quiet when asked about rumors that he is considering challenging Gov. Bev Perdue in a Democratic primary.

“If I run for my House seat, what else could I run for?” Faison asks.

But when asked directly whether he would rule out challenging Perdue, Faison repeatedly responded by saying he was running for his House seat – not by ruling out running for governor.

But Faison was more talkative with WRAL's Laura Leslie.

"At the moment, I think we need to win back the House,'” Faison said. “I certainly am aware that Perdue has her own problems, including the possibility of imminent indictments against some of her very close associates."

“I want to see us keep the governor's office in Democratic hands," he continued.

"I think her numbers do not look good. I think her situation does not look good. It's possible she may decide to do something else. She may not want to run for a second term. Should that occur, I certainly would be interested in considering a race," Faison said.

(Perdue's  polling numbers have sharply improved since her handling of the state's response to Hurricane Irene.)

State Rep. Bill Faison, who is running hard for the chairmanship of the N.C. Democratic Party, will host a party fundraiser tonight—while he still can.

Faison, of Orange County, is organizing a fundraiser at state party headquarters tonight, reports Jim Morrill, Dome's colleague at the Charlotte Observer. Co-sponsors include 14 Democratic legislators. Invited guests include Gov. Bev Perdue, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and other state officials.

In the invitation, Faison said he was having the fundraiser to beat a ban on lawmakers raising money from lobbyists and political action committees. Legislators are barred from doing that once the session starts next week.

"I will be hosting a fundraiser aimed at PACs and Lobbyists to raise money for the North Carolina Democratic Party," Faison wrote. "As many of you know, ethics laws were passed a few years ago to significantly crack down on improper contributions to members of the General Assembly ... To make sure that this will not hurt my ability to serve you as the next Party Chair I decided to get their money in early."

Faison is running against Statesville lawyer David Parker and party activist Dannie Montgomery of Anson County. The election is Jan. 29.