Cobey campaigns in Goldsboro
By Matt Shaw
Published in News on July 14, 2004 1:59 PM
Bill Cobey campaigned in Goldsboro this morning as part of his "Clean Start for North Carolina" tour, a last-minute push to emerge as the Republican candidate for governor.
"This election is about providing our state and our nation with the type of leadership that they deserve," Cobey said during his appearance at the county GOP headquarters on Center Street.
Cobey has the best mix of experience, leadership and conservative principles among the six Republican candidates running for governor, he said.
In an interview, Cobey said that recent polls have suggested the Republican primary is boiling down to a two-man race between himself and Richard Vinroot, the former mayor of Charlotte who's run twice previously for governor.
"Between the two of us, voters need to decide who has the better qualifications, who really represents the conservative views of this state's people and who has the vision to move North Carolina further," Cobey said.
Cobey hopes to emerge as the leading vote-getter after next Tuesday's primary. The second-place finisher would have the right to call a runoff if the first-place finisher receives less than 40 percent of all votes.
Cobey was formerly the athletic director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a job now held by Goldsboro native Dickie Baddour. He left that job in 1980 to pursue political ambitions.
In 1984, Cobey was elected to the U.S. House's 4th District and served one term. He later joined Gov. Jim Martin's administration, first as deputy secretary of transportation and then as secretary of the Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources.
Since then, he served two terms as chairman of the N.C. Republican Party. He left that job when he announced his candidacy for governor.
He is a graduate of Emory University, where he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry. He earned a master's degree in marketing from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh.
He lives in Durham with his wife, Nancy. They have a daughter, son and three grandchildren.
More information is available at www.billcobey.com.