Moore says he will back Perdue

RALEIGH - State Treasurer Richard Moore said yesterday that he will support Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue in her run for governor, but he remained coy about when or if he would publicly endorse her or campaign on her behalf.

"I've always said that I'm a Democrat, and I will support the Democratic ticket," Moore said.

He declined to elaborate but said he has had discussions with the Perdue campaign.

Moore and Perdue ran for the Democratic nomination for governor, and Perdue prevailed last month after an intense primary campaign. Throughout the campaign, Moore severely criticized Perdue, calling her untrustworthy and questioning her commitment to racial justice.

Since Perdue's primary victory on May 6, Moore has stayed out of the public limelight. On the day after the primary, Gov. Mike Easley -- who could not run for re-election this year because of consecutive term limits -- held a press conference to endorse Perdue, but Moore did not attend.

His absence -- and his continued silence in the following weeks -- was a noticeable contrast with the Republican Party, which appears more united behind its own nominee, Pat McCrory, the mayor of Charlotte.

Fred Smith, who was McCrory's chief opponent during the Republican primary, vociferously endorsed McCrory the day after the primary. Smith, a state senator, has introduced McCrory to other Republicans at the General Assembly and has promised to help him in his campaign.

Mac McCorkle, a campaign adviser to Perdue, confirmed yesterday that the Perdue campaign has talked with Moore about an endorsement. He said he is scheduled to have lunch on Wednesday with Jay Reiff, who managed Moore's campaign.

"I think things are moving at a pretty good pace. It could have happened right after (the primary), but I think it needed a little bit of time," McCorkle said. "It was a hard-fought primary, and probably, both sides just needed some breathing room."

Moore received about 40 percent of the primary vote, and he is popular among voters who want a business-oriented approach to governance focused on fiscal responsibility. He is finishing his second term as the state's elected treasurer.

McCorkle said he does not think that Moore's hesitancy to endorse Perdue reveals a lack of unity in the party.

"This is not 1984, where the Democratic Party is split and both sides are permanently mad at each other," he said, referring to the Democratic primary that year between Rufus Edmisten and Eddie Knox.

Edmisten won the primary, but Knox and many of his supporters never got behind him, and Republican Jim Martin was elected governor.

Moore said yesterday that the reason for the delay in any show of public support for Perdue is "nothing more than logistics."

Asked about the appearance of a lack of unity in the party, he said, "I'm really not concerned about the appearance of it. We're going to have as strong a Democratic ticket as we possibly can."

Moore made his comments yesterday in an interview after attending Barack Obama's speech in Raleigh. Both Moore and Perdue endorsed Obama during his primary race against Hillary Clinton.

Perdue did not attend Obama's speech. McCorkle said that she had scheduling conflicts.

■ James Romoser can be reached at 919-210-6794 or at