Michael Francis Easley (born 23 March 1950) is the current governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina.
Easley was born in Nash County, North Carolina and earned a degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972. He then attended the North Carolina Central University School of Law, earning his J.D. degree in 1976.
From 1982 to 1990, Easley served as the district attorney for the 13th Judicial District in North Carolina, covering Brunswick, Bladen, and Columbus counties. A Democrat, Easley was elected North Carolina Attorney General in 1992, serving in the administration of Governor Jim Hunt.
In 2000, Easley challenged Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot in a race for Governor of North Carolina; Easley won and has served as governor since 2001.
Governorship
The early portions of Easley's term as Governor were marked by an emphasis on education reform. One of Easley's major programs was More at Four, a pre-kindergarten for at-risk children.
Easley has generally received bipartisan support across party lines, but has gotten mixed reviews on his handling of fiscal problems in the state. His supporters claim many of the budget shortfall situations were created before he even took office, while his detractors have criticized his support of raising sales taxes to cover the cost of new state programs.
During his administration, Easley has not been afraid to confront the state legislature on certain issues and some political pundits have pointed to this stance as one reason for his popularity.
Easley has supported a controversial state-wide lottery which has not come to fruition despite other such lotteries in surrounding states. He has stated that proceeds from the lottery would be used for much-needed educational programs.
As one TV station in Raleigh pointed out, Easley's administration has been marked by adversity. Easley has faced budget shortfalls, tough economic times, and even natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. Supporters have credited his leadership abilities and personal charm as one reason for his continued popularity despite these trying events.
Easley ran for a second term as Governor in 2004. He easily defeated Rickey Kipfer, his only opponent in the Democratic primary, and faced Republican former state senator Patrick Ballantine and Libertarian Barbara Howe in November 2004. Though the state voted for Republicans George W. Bush as President and Richard Burr as Senator, Easley won his second term as Governor by a double-digit margin. Easley is also considered to be a possible candidate for Senate to run against Burr in 2010, and, although his name is often mentioned as a potential candidate 2008 presidential election , most political insiders do not expect him to seriously consider a presidential run.
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