GOP activists say no one wants to take on McCrory

RALEIGH (By Rob Christensen, The Charlotte Observer) - After Pat McCrory lost his campaign for governor in 2008, he had to find a new job. He also got a second chance to impress conservative Republicans and make deeper statewide political connections.

McCrory got the new job, working for a major law firm. And he worked the rubber-chicken circuit tirelessly, building up political IOUs during the 2010 mid-term elections.

As a result, he's the first Republican since Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner in 1992 to have a clear path to the GOP gubernatorial nomination. McCrory, the former Charlotte mayor, will announce his candidacy Tuesday night in Guilford County.