Pat McCrory namedropped no fewer than three North Carolina cities in his speech.
At his kickoff on the steps of the Jamestown public library today, he noted that he grew up in the small town outside Greensboro.
"It is here in Jamestown where I got my values," he said. "I then moved to Salisbury to Catawba College where I attained my higher education and I got my teaching degree. ... And from Salisbury after college, I moved to Charlotte, and the people of Charlotte allowed me to become a leader."
Democratic pollster Tom Jensen points out that all three are on Interstate 85, where he so far is polling the best. (You may recall that polling consultant Brad Crone argued a while back that the road is the state's new political lifeline.)
In addition, Salisbury is the home of one of his GOP rivals, Bill Graham.
Just as the Charlotte mayor chose to officially start his campaign in Jamestown, though, Graham went to his childhood hometown of Dunn for his kickoff. Fred Smith, who lives in Clayton, went to the former orphanage in Raleigh, where he grew up.
Bob Orr didn't have a kickoff.

