Staff report
Salisbury attorney Bill Graham will officially enter the North Carolina governors race today.
Grahams campaign will hold two rallies to make the announcement. An event in Salisbury will begin at 6 p.m. at the Historic Train Depot at 215 Depot St. A band will start playing at 5 p.m.
The first event was to take place in Grahams native Dunn, starting at 8 a.m.
On his Web site, www.graham2008.com, Graham wrote that he will will announce plans to seek the honor of serving you as governor of the great state of North Carolina.
North Carolinians will elect a governor in 2008 as Gov. Mike Easleys second term expires.
Graham, a Republican, came to statewide prominence last year with a self-funded campaign against a planned increase in the states gas tax and announced the formation of an exploratory committee in February that allowed him to start raising money for a gubernatorial campaign.
On his Web site, Graham writes that he and 75,000 who joined him across the state stopped the gas-tax hike and saved state taxpayers $159 million this year.
Our success in fighting the gas tax got me thinking. Just imagine how much more we could do for our state if we banded together like that and made bold and exciting changes in Raleigh making healthcare more accessible and affordable, getting control of a broken immigration system, reigning in spending, reducing taxes, and so much more, Graham wrote on his site. Politicians have stopped listening to us. But weve just proven that if we come together as one they have to listen.
Other Republicans who have announced campaigns for governor are N.C. Sen. Fred Smith and former N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert Orr.
State Treasurer Richard Moore, a Democrat, will officially announce his candidacy next week. Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue is expected to join Moore in seeking the partys nomination.