Three former governors set stage for NC’s role as battleground state in 2020 election

Three former governors with a combined 28 years as chief executive pondered Wednesday night the North Carolina they once led and the battleground state it will be this year for the highest-stakes election in memory.

The governors — Republicans Jim Martin and Pat McCrory and Democrat Jim Hunt — at times sounded nostalgic for days with less money in politics, no social media and a less polarized electorate. They spoke at a forum held at Charlotte’s ImaginOn.

“We’ve got to work together more,” said Hunt, who served a record four terms between 1977 and 2001 that were marked by his passion for public education and can-do exhortations. “We can do it, folks. You’re reasonable folks: Find ways to work together.”

The forum was sponsored by the Knight Foundation and is part of the N.C. Priorities Project, which kicks off coverage by The Observer, The News & Observer and McClatchy that will focus on issues that people care most about. The event featured a short video produced by Observer and News & Observer journalists who spoke with voters about their concerns in each of the state’s 100 counties.

The forum came five days before the Iowa caucuses mark the official start of the presidential campaign.

Observer political reporter Jim Morrill, who led the questions Wednesday night, spoke with the former governors about what has changed most in politics since their days in office.

The lack of a fair shake for poor people, Hunt said. The growth of cities and population declines of many rural counties, said McCrory, who left office in 2017, that reflects a widening political divide between them.

Polarization of political parties, answered Martin, who served from 1985 to 1993.

“You could get along, even if there were things that you looked at differently,” he said. “Now with social media, everybody has the ability to get into their own little silos and hear what they want to hear. Then gerrymandering: It didn’t start with Republicans, but Republicans had gerrymandering on steroids, and we saw a need to deal with that. A lot of centrists pulled out of both parties.”

Hunt criticized the state’s lack of an adopted budget — legislators passed one but Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed it, so it hasn’t become law — saying $1 billion is languishing that could be put toward education and healthcare. But McCrory sees the impasse between the General Assembly and Cooper as not solely over policy differences.

“I see it as more of a power struggle than an issue struggle,” he said. “A lot of this is not just partisanship, it’s basically about power and turf, and with power comes money. More money ensures being reelected.”

North Carolina’s top issues

The former governors have jointly spoken out on public issues in recent years.

Last year, Martin, Hunt and former Democratic governors Mike Easley and Bev Perdue filed a court brief opposing partisan gerrymandering in a case challenging the state’s 2017 legislative districts. In 2018, all five former governors united to oppose proposed constitutional amendments they said would limit executive power.

Now, Martin and Hunt put public education at the top of what they said should be the state’s priorities. McCrory cited other concerns, including the $50 billion in unfunded liabilities for the state employees’ pension and healthcare funds and the addiction crisis.

The governors differed on expanding Medicaid, one of the key issues that has kept the Republican-controlled legislature and Cooper from agreeing on a state budget.

“What are you going to do when the federal government backs away (from its 90% share of expanded Medicaid funding) and says (to the state), now it’s yours?” Martin said.

Hunt: “It will be good for our economy, folks. Healthcare and education go hand-in-hand, and we have the resources to do it now.”

Effects of impeachment

The governors also spoke about how President Donald Trump’s impeachment may or may not affect the November presidential election.

“It will be a 24-hour news cycle and the minute it leaves, we’ll move onto some other issue,” McCrory said. “To me, this is a distraction by both Democrats and Republicans to avoid the tough issues that we know we need to confront for the next generation.”

Martin predicted Trump’s impeachment will set the stage for impeachments to become more routine in the future “because the vengeance between the two parties is so intense.”

South Carolina’s Democratic primary is Feb. 29, and North Carolina’s primary is March 3.

Charlotte will host the Republican National Convention beginning Aug. 24.