Mike Easley
From Freepedia
Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is the current Democratic governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina.
Easley was born and raised a Roman Catholic in otherwise overwhelmingly Protestant Nash County, North Carolina. His father owned one of the two big tobacco warehouses in the area. Easley earned a degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972. He then attended the North Carolina Central University School of Law, earning his J.D. degree in 1976.
From 1982 to 1990, Easley served as the district attorney for the 13th Judicial District in North Carolina, covering Brunswick, Bladen, and Columbus counties. A Democrat, Easley was elected North Carolina Attorney General in 1992, serving in the administration of Governor Jim Hunt.
In 2000, Easley challenged former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot in a race for Governor of North Carolina; Easley won and has served as governor since 2001.
Governorship
The early portions of Easley's term as Governor were marked by an emphasis on education reform. One of Easley's major programs was More at Four, a pre-kindergarten for at-risk children.
Easley has generally received bipartisan support across party lines, but has gotten mixed reviews on his handling of fiscal problems in the state. His supporters claim many of the budget shortfall situations were created before he even took office, while his detractors have criticized his support of raising sales taxes to cover the cost of new state programs.
During his administration, Easley has not been afraid to confront the state legislature on certain issues and some political pundits have pointed to this stance as one reason for his popularity.
Easley has supported a controversial state-wide lottery, which was ultimatly approved on August 31, 2005. He has stated that proceeds from the lottery will be used for much-needed educational programs.
As one TV station in Raleigh pointed out, Easley's administration has been marked by adversity. Easley has faced budget shortfalls, tough economic times, and even natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. Supporters have credited his leadership abilities and personal charm as one reason for his continued popularity despite these trying events.
Easley ran for a second term as Governor in 2004. He easily defeated Rickey Kipfer, his only opponent in the Democratic primary, and faced Republican former state senator Patrick Ballantine and Libertarian Barbara Howe in November 2004. Though the state voted for Republicans George W. Bush as President and Richard Burr as United States Senator, Easley won his second term as Governor by a double-digit margin. Easley is also considered to be a possible candidate for Senate to run against Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008 or Sen. Richard Burr in 2010, and, although his name is often mentioned as a potential candidate 2008 presidential election, most political insiders do not expect him to seriously consider a presidential run.
According to the Raleigh News and Observer of August 10, 2005, "Easley has also been largely been dormant the last six months when it comes to fund raising. He has reported receiving $13,202 -- a good chunk of it from interest earned on his bank account. His kitty has $885,269."
The N&O further reports that "The governor's main contribution was $3,000 from from executives of Altria Group, the major cigarette manufacturer. They came at a time when Easley was considering proposing to the legislature an increase in the cigarette tax. The governor later proposed raising the tax from 5 cents per pack to 50 cents per pack."
External links
| Preceded by: Jim Hunt | Governor of North Carolina 2001–present | Succeeded by: — |
