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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Walter Dalton said he believes the state superintendent of public instruction should be appointed by the governor, rather than directly elected by the voters.

“That's a change in my position,'' Dalton told a meeting of editors and reporters of The News and Observer. “I have generally respected the vote of the people.''

But Dalton said he has seen so much divided leadership on education, that he thinks it would be better for the state for the position to become appointed. In doing so, Dalton follows the lead of numerous studies and commissions that have said the current education system is too divided between the governor, the superintendent, and the State Board of Education.

Walter Dalton is again pulling his TV ads from the Charlotte market starting this week.

The Democrat initially bought commercial time in rival Pat McCrory's hometown but decided to cut his $200,000 TV buy for the next two weeks, according to media tracking data from Friday.

Democrats have been reticent to spend big money on TV in the Charlotte market, the state's largest, this campaign season -- as we've noted before.

Pat McCrory has cast North Carolina as the worst in the Southeast for business throughout his campaign to become the state's governor, while Walter Dalton and Democrats have painted another picture.

At least in entrepreneurship, the state is in the middle of the pack nationally and far from the bottom, a recent report shows.

An annual report by economists from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln show North Carolina ranking No. 26, a double-digit improvement over last year. Massachussetts was at the front of the pack, and Louisiana brought up the back.

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.

ASHEVILLE – At the Democrat's annual western fundraising dinner Saturday night, the Republicans were accused of attempting to roll back the state's progress in favor of narrow interests.

“Pat McCrory and his Republican allies are whittling away at the greatness of our university system, and at the greatness of our community college system...and at our and the early childhood programs,'' Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, the Democratic nominee told about 500 people attending the Western Gala at the Grove Park Inn.

With Pat McCrory sitting on a double-digit lead in the polls, the Republican Governors Association is trimming its spending on TV commercials in North Carolina, according to new data.

The move signals that national Republicans are confident that McCrory is a near-lock to win the governor's race and allows the RGA to spend more in closer races across the country.

The RGA cut $400,000 from its ad buy in the next two weeks starting Monday, independent media buyers reported. "We feel comfortable," spokesman Mike Schrimpf said. "We are going to keep our foot on the gas but not press the pedal all the way to the floor."

UPDATED: One question caught the candidates for governor off guard at the first statewide televised debate: "Can each of you tell me the approximate tax rate you paid last year?" asked Dave Wagner, an anchor at WCNC-TV in Charlotte.

The subject is ripe given the talk about how Republican Pat McCrory won't release his personal tax returns amid questions about his consulting job at a law firm that lobbies state government and the controversy in the presidential race about Mitt Romney's taxes.

Democratic candidate Walter Dalton said Thursday that he felt good about his first televised debate with Republican Pat McCrory.

“People know his name, but I don't think they know his policies,” Dalton said at a news conference to unveil his education plan at Wake Medical center. (See story in this Sunday's N&O.) “Last night I think I was able to put him on the defensive.''

Walter Dalton is trying to make the choice for governor crystal clear for voters, debuting a new website Thursday that stacks his ideas against Republican Pat McCrory.

The website is expectedly one-sided and at times outright wrong, lacking the space and the depth to truly reflect the candidates' positions. One example of the bold accusations: "Pat McCrory looks down on rural areas," reads one point. "Pat McCrory wants some children left behind," says another.

North Carolina’s candidates for governor, Walter Dalton and Pat McCrory, engaged in a sharp-edged televised debate Wednesday, offering barbed exchanges on taxes, businesses, fracking, race and voter ID that reflected the state’s political polarization.

Dalton most often was in the role of the aggressor, portraying McCrory as someone who would be more responsive to the interests of the well-to-do, whether it came to taxes or big oil companies. McCrory portrayed himself as the reformer who would make much needed changes in the state, while painting Dalton as part of a failed “good ol’ boy and good ol’ girl system."

Read the full story here and three fact-checks from the debate.

More political headlines:

--President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney squared off in primetime. Analysis: Romney relaxed, Obama out-of-sync. Fact checks. Reaction from voters in Charlotte at watch parties and from undecided voters.