McCrory takes heat on lottery issue

Pat McCrory told the N.C. Family Policy Council in March that the lottery law should be repealed.

A candidate questionnaire from the conservative group asked, "Should the law that authorizes a state sponsored lottery in North Carolina be repealed?"

McCrory answered "Yes," according to the group's Web site. He then elaborated: "Repeal would be good but difficult since money has already been committed and budgeted for future years."

McCrory, the Republican nominee for governor, drew heat Wednesday for that answer. Democratic rival Beverly Perdue's campaign said rolling back the lottery would create a $350 million hole in the state's education budget, David Ingram reports.

McCrory's campaign said it is preparing a response. In another past statement about the lottery, McCrory criticized its merits but stopped short of calling for repeal.

In late April or early May, he told the N&O: "The political reality is they've already committed the money to the lottery and it's going to be very difficult to return back to the days when we weren't dependent on revenue which I think is preying primarily on the poor and the others who think there is a free ride."

There should be some limited advertising, McCrory said then. He also said he would support limiting the times television ads can be shown.

"I need to study what the ramifications are of changing it. I was dissappointed in the way it was implemented."

All but one of the five GOP candidates for governor supported repeal. Elbie Powers did not. Perdue did not answer the questionnaire, but she has supported the lottery and cast the tying vote in the N.C. Senate in favor of it.