NC candidates differ on offshore drilling

NC candidates differ on offshore drilling By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press WriterComment on this story RALEIGH, N.C. - Two candidates for governor attempted Thursday to woo the farm vote at a policy forum, with Republican Pat McCrory promoting offshore drilling and Democrat Beverly Perdue touting her knowledge of the agriculture industry. "I've been a friend of agriculture for a long, long time, and I'm a friend of yours today," Perdue told more than 350 people gathered at the North Carolina Farm Bureau headquarters. She said she has 14 years representing rural counties in the Legislature. "I understand the issues." McCrory, the mayor of Charlotte since 1995, spoke primarily about education, energy and ethics during his speech, saying that farmers have the same concerns as other North Carolina residents. The GOP nominee... [read full story]