The Mayberry Miracle was engineered by Senate leader Marc Basnight.
In a May 20, 2001, profile, N&O reporter Rob Christensen wrote that the Manteo Democrat and his nephew and fundraiser, R.V. Owens, orchestrated the last-minute TV ad featuring Andy Griffith that helped Gov. Mike Easley win the 2000 election.
Here's the story:
It was Owens and Basnight who sealed the election for Easley and worked what came to be called the Mayberry miracle by bringing in North Carolina legend and old family friend Andy Griffith to film a commercial endorsing Easley. Basnight also got Griffith to make radio commercials for Democratic Senate candidates that ran on small Christian radio stations in hotly contested conservative districts.
Basnight also did a favor for Griffith, helping him get a personal visit from regulators to see whether environmental agencies would permit the actor to dredge a channel to the dock at his Manteo home.
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