Pat McCrory

Patrick Lloyd "Pat" McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American politician and the 74th Governor of North Carolina. He previously served a record 14 years as the 53rd Mayor of Charlotte from 1995 to 2009, and as a Charlotte city councilman from 1989 to 1995. McCrory also received a presidential appointment by George W. Bush to serve on the United States Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) from 2002–2006. In December 2015, McCrory was mentioned as a potential choice for Vice President in the 2016 election.

McCrory was the Republican nominee for Governor of North Carolina in the 2008 general election and was defeated 50% to 46% by then-Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue. After the 2008 election, McCrory returned to the private sector. On January 31, 2012, he launched his second campaign for governor. While mayors of Charlotte have had trouble winning statewide office, McCrory became the first mayor of Charlotte to win the state's highest office, as well as the first Republican governor since 1988.