Moore's lunch with Obama

Richard Moore ate lunch with Barack Obama in 2004.

At a press conference today, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate played up his ties to the presidential candidate, just a day after rival Beverly Perdue announced her endorsement.

He noted that he had lunch with Barack and Michelle Obama on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 — the day after Obama gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention that launched his national political career.

"I did have the opportunity to have lunch with he and Michelle during the Democratic convention in Boston the morning that he was on the front page of every paper in the country," he said. "That is something I will never forget. They were both on cloud nine."

He said he was struck by "what genuine and down to earth" people they were.

Moore said that as a candidate he will probably not appear alongside Obama at political rallies or public events in North Carolina before the primary.

"People primarily run their own races, and certainly there's nothing wrong with that," he said.