NC Democratic governor rips her own state for gay marriage ban: ‘We look like Mississippi’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jan. 28, 2012: North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue addresses the media at the Marriott hotel in downtown Greensboro, N.C. (AP)
In an interview with Greenville, N.C. NBC affiliate WITN on Friday, North Carolina’s outgoing Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue ripped her own constituents for voting to restrict legal unions to heterosexual couples.
The gay marriage ban passed by an overwhelming 62-to-38 percentage point margin, but that didn’t stop Perdue from attacking North Carolina — and then lashing out at Mississippi.
“It’s wrong for North Carolina, clearly, clearly and simply,” Perdue said. “People around the country are watching us, and they’re really confused. To have been such a progressive, forward-thinking, economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the civil rights of people, including the civil rights marches back in the ‘50s and ‘60s and ‘70s — folks are saying, ‘What in the world is going on in North Carolina?’ We look like Mississippi.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves criticized the comparison on Friday.
“Gov. Perdue should know that her administration has a lot of work to do to make her state’s business climate ‘look like Mississippi,’ he told NBC-17. “We are creating an environment which encourages the private sector to invest capital in Mississippi, and I would invite any North Carolina-based company wanting to move to a lower-taxed, less-regulated state to look at our business-friendly opportunities.”
Perdue announced earlier this year that she would not be seeking reelection. North Carolina is slated to host the Democratic National Convention this fall.
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