Mooneyham: There is a Charlotte bias

Scott Mooneyham says there is a bias against Charlotte.

The capitol reporter writes in a column in the Southern Pines Pilot that North Carolinians have long disliked politicians from Charlotte. His mother, for one.

Growing up in and around Raleigh, I can't remember how many times I heard her disparage the Queen City. In her view, if South Carolina didn't want the city, perhaps Mars would annex it.

He points out that Pat McCrory announced in Jamestown, former Gov. Jim Martin stressed his connections to Davidson County and former Speaker Jim Black always said he was from Matthews.

Still, Mooneyham says that North Carolina has changed in recent decades, with "transplanted Northerners" living in the suburbs less likely to dislike Charlotte.