McCrory to unveil gov's bid next week

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory will campaign in earnest for North Carolina governor starting next week in the county where he spent much of his childhood.

McCrory's campaign said Wednesday the Republican will formally announce his bid on the Internet next Tuesday morning, followed by a speech later in the day in Guilford County at the Oriental Shrine Club. The 55-year-old McCrory moved to Guilford in the mid-1960s.

McCrory plans similar events Wednesday and Thursday in Hendersonville, Wilmington and New Bern, which is the hometown of Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue -- his probable opponent in the November election. Perdue edged McCrory in the 2008 election.

McCrory had been acting like a candidate over the past year and announced last month he was "100 percent committed" to seek the Republican nomination.