Queen City Curse

A curse on lieutenant governors?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:47:45 -0400

Francis DeLuca says the Queen City Curse is not the only one.

Although much has been made of the failed attempts of Charlotte mayors to win statewide office, the executive director of the Civitas Institute points out that a number of lieutenant governors have lost their bids for governor.

1976 - Lt. Gov. Jim Hunt won the general election for governor
1984 - Lt. Gov. Jimmy Green lost the Democratic Primary
1988 - Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan lost the general election
1992 - Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner lost the general election
2000 - Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker lost the Democratic Primary
2008 - Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue won the Democratic Primary but is in a close general election

He also notes that while none of the Charlotte politicians won a statewide election, every lieutenant governor won at least won general election.

"Looking at the inability of seasoned statewide politicians to move up to the Governor's mansion leads me to only one conclusion — there is a curse on Lieutenant Governors who try and become governor," he writes.

The Dome's FAQs machine

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:55:43 -0400

Under the Dome has a new feature that's not so new.

Since we started the blog, we've had a feature called Frequently Asked Questions in which we provide concise, encylopedic answers to topical questions.

Some examples: What does the state labor commissioner do? How does a primary runoff work? What is the Queen City Curse? Who is on the Council of State? What is a catfish amendment? Who has been expelled from the legislature?

Though we now have answers to more than 40 questions, we haven't promoted this feature much.

That changed today, when we added a new widget to the right-hand column. It will list the most recently modified FAQ and give a brief description of the answer.

To read the fuller answer, click "Read more," or click "View all FAQs" to browse a complete list.

Let us know if you have any questions or concerns about this new/old feature or any suggestions for other improvements to Under the Dome.

What is the Queen City Curse?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:42:50 -0500

Answer:

A long-running losing streak for Charlotte mayors who seek statewide office.

Every person who's held the office since 1979 has lost a state campaign for governor or U.S. Senate in either the primary or general election.

The first was Eddie Knox, who lost to Rufus Edmisten in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1984. In 1990 and 1996, Harvey Gantt lost to U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms in the general election.

In 1992, Sue Myrick lost to Lauch Faircloth in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

In 1996, Richard Vinroot lost to Robin Hayes in the Republican gubernatorial primary. He won the nomination in 2000, but then lost to Gov. Mike Easley. In 2004, he again lost the gubernatorial primary.

In fact, the last candidate from Charlotte to win a statewide election for either senator or governor was Gov. Cameron Morrison in 1920. Some also point to Gov. Jim Martin, a former head of the Mecklenburg County commissioners who listed his address as Lake Norman in Iredell County.

The phrase "Queen City curse" has been in use since at least the mid-1990s.

In 2008, the curse was mentioned when longtime mayor Pat McCrory kicked off a bid for the Republican gubernatorial primary.