McCrory was a vocal supporter of allowing energy companies to explore for natural gas in shale formations, a process colloquially known as fracking. "Under a McCrory administration, North Carolina will establish the regulatory framework for natural gas exploration and signal to outside companies that North Carolina is getting into the energy business," McCrory said in his economic plan.

The measure: Does fracking proceed under McCrory's administration?

Promise Status: Fail

Although McCrory will need cooperation from lawmakers, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is under the governor's direct oversight and is responsible for developing some of the rules related to energy exploration.

Update 7/29/13: Gov. Pat McCrory has signed a bill that updates several laws with regard to fracking. However, the state still has a moratorium in place that prevents drilling from beginning. The administration and legislature are making progress on this issue but the task is not yet completed.

Update 12/24/2014: This is getting close to an achieved. Late in 2014, the Rules Review Commission approved the majority of rules put forward by the Mining and Energy Commission. The General Assembly will likely have the chance to review some of those rules in 2015. However, it is likely that sometime in 2015, the state's first fracking permit will be issued, and at that point, this will be a promise kept.

Update: 12/9/2015: This promise took an interesting turn in 2015. With the passage of pro-fracking legislation over the past three years, it looked like this would go into the "achieved" category in fairly short order. But McCrory and lawmakers have disagreed over who should oversee appointments to a key panel, the Mining and Energy Commission. McCrory has sued lawmakers to take back some control over the commission.

Ironically, McCrory victories in court have meant slower progress on this promise. The court fight has put the commission's work on hold. As a result, there have been no drilling permit applications and even if there were, the legal authority for the commission to approve them is somewhat in doubt. We'll revisit this promise at the end of McCrory's term.

Update: 12/7/2016: Although this failure is not entirely McCrory's fault, he did fall short on this promise. As noted in the 2015 update, McCrory and lawmakers got into a disagreement about how to oversee oil and gas development in the state. The end result was that a proposed Oil and Gas Commission, which had been slated to sign off on gas drilling permits, was declared unconstitutional.

"So yes, you could apply for a permit but there isn’t a body in place to review it," said Stephanie Hawco, a spokeswoman of the Department of Environmental Quality. Given that one can't get a permit to frack, the state isn't all the way open to the process.

Source

• Pat McCrory: Energy

Pat McCrory pledged several times on the campaign trail that he would have an "ethical and accountable" government. That's a bit vague, but he did comment to the News & Observer of Raleigh that he would support certain open records laws. "You should not be waiting until a week before the election to find out who is giving to a campaign," McCrory told the paper. "Today with computer technology it can be done much more often. I think the public has a right to know more frequently." McCrory also told the paper he would open his daily calendar of public activities.

The measure: Does McCrory push through better disclosure laws for campaign finances? Does he release a daily calendar of activities?

Promise Status: Broken

McCrory took office Jan. 5. He has not yet sent the General Assembly ethics-related legislation or had the opportunity to sign any.

Update 1/8/2015: As we head into the new legislative session, McCrory has not yet advocated for any push more disclosure, however he did sign a bill that, as one of its many provisions, will require most candidates who raise significant amounts of money to file their reports electronically.

We will note that McCrory has had run-ins with the news media over transparency with regard to his finances. And although not explicitly noted during the 2012 campaign, reporters for WRAL and other news organs have experienced months-long waits for records requests.

At this point, we're leaving this rated as "In Progress" and will check back in on these issues at the end of the year.

Update 12/9/2015: In July of 2015, a coalition of media organizations sued the McCrory administration for failing to respond to open records requests in a timely manner. While not directly related to McCrory's 2012 promise, this certainly doesn't bode well for government transparency. It is worth nothing that McCrory signed a law that will require most state candidates to file campaign finance reports electronically, although that law does not speed up the reporting timelines.

For the time being, we're leaving this promise marked as "In progress."

Update 12/7/2016: The McCrory administration continues to thwart public records request put forward by members of the news media, nonprofit and individuals. In a November court hearing, lawyers for the governor claimed immunity from certain public records claims. The provision of public records is at the heart of how a government maintains transparency.

It's also worth noting that McCrory failed to push through any revisions to the state's campaign finance law that would make who is giving to politicians more transparent, a key foundation of his original transparency claim.

Given his active opposition to public records requests and his failure to pass any signature transparency legislation, this is a promise broken.

Source

• Candidates for governor support prying open some government records

When asked by WRAL's David Crabtree whether he would hold regular news conferences, McCrory said, "Absolutely."

The measure: Does McCrory hold regular news conferences during his first term?

He'll be measured against predecessors like Gov. Mike Easley and Gov. Bev Perdue, who limited their formal news conferences to times when they were announcing a budget or specific policy proposal or dealing with an emergency such as a hurricane.

Promise status: Mixed results

McCrory was sworn in Jan. 5 and will have a week of inaugural public appearances.

The measure of this promise will be whether he maintains open dialog with the media, including regular news conferences.

Updated (1/18/2013): During the first weeks of his administration, McCrory's office has sent out a daily schedule of his public events, giving the public advance notice of his appearances. This is a practice that makes covering the governor much easier and was never adopted by Gov. Mike Easley or Gov. Bev Perdue. While this is not following through on the promise for regular formal news conferences, these well-noticed events have given reporters the chance to ask McCrory about the news of the day. Given this nod to transparency, or at least being helpful, we're upgrading this status from "In progress" to "Kept so far."

Updated (2/8/2013): McCrory's communications director, Chris Walker, is returning home to Tennessee. In the past month, McCrory has occasionally made himself for a short set of questions after public events, but has not been consistent about this practice. Until the Republican has a new chief for his press shop on board, the Promise Tracker is withholding judgment on this one, but we are downgrading the status from "kept so far" to "in progress."

Updated (1/10/2014): McCrory has not held "regular" news conferences in the sense that they are scheduled on a weekly or monthly basis. Throughout 2013, his availability to reporters has been sporadic, sometimes taking questions after events and public meetings, sometimes deflecting questions because he has other appointments scheduled. He has done conducted lengthy television interviews. At this point, we are not ready to make a final determination on whether this is a promise kept.

Updated (1/08/2015): Probably no other promise on the McCrory tracker list has provoked as much discussion among the @NCCapitol brain trust. Over the past year, we've seen McCrory become much more willing to speak after events if he has the time. And frequently, if he's traveling with a cabinet secretary, he'll pull them into the conversation. At three or four points during the year, McCrory has also done a round of sit-down interviews with television reporters.

In general, he appears no less accessible than his two predecessors, Perdue and Easley, although he may not be living up to the loquacious benchmark set by four-term Gov. Jim Hunt. However, our colleagues in the print media may have more to grumble about.

At this point, we're upgrading this from "In Progress" to "Kept so far," with the hope that the governor will continue to be as accessible, if not more so.

Updated (12/07/2016): Our "mixed results" rating for this has everything to do with McCrory's bifurcated approach to dealing with the reporters over the past year. Nobody who watched McCrory respond to disasters such as gas shortages, Hurricane Matthew or the wildfires in the western part of the state could say that he wasn't making public appearances. He became a regular on television during those times.

But the last year of the administration saw a significant dip in his willingness to engage with reporters in press conferences unrelated to those point-in-time crises. And as those occasions became increasingly rare, so did the reticence of his press operations to answer basic governance questions.

Source

• On the Record: Pat McCrory

"I would also seek to sell the deep-water port land that the Easley-Perdue-Dalton leadership spent $30 million to purchase near Southport without first completing feasibility studies about the project," McCrory said in response to a WRAL survey.

The measure: Does McCory sell the deep-water port property?

Promise Status: Failed

McCrory took office on Jan. 5. He said in a January pre-inauguration news conference that he would direct his Department of Administration to review all state property as part of an effort to get rid of assets the state no longer needs.

Update 1/10/2014: Asked about this promise, McCrory spokesman Ryan Tronovich wrote, "The Ports Authority still owns the land, and it is currently not for sale, but the Strategic Planning Committee of the Authority's Board of Directors is currently examining the best use of several properties, including the 600 acres near Southport. This committee intends to develop a strategic plan for real estate holdings, which will include alternative uses (like renting to an existing business)."

Update 1/08/2015: In late December, Laura Blair, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Ports Authority, confirmed the state still owned the land.

"The Authority still owns the land. It is important to note tax dollars were not and are not used in the financing of the property," she wrote in an email. "There are no immediate plans for the property. The Board of Directors is currently considering a property inventory plan and this property is a component."

Update 12/7/2016: As of this date, the North Carolina's port system still owns the land and has not made a move to sell the property.

Source

• Governor - WRAL Voter Guide

McCrory has cited statistics showing the state's community college and university system spending millions of dollars every year on remediation. He says this is a sign that K-12 education isn't doing its job. "Therefore, every student entering the ninth grade will be tested for proficiency in basic reading and mathematics. Any student not able to pass the test will receive intense remedial courses to give them the tools to graduate and get a job or continue their education," McCrory wrote in his education plan.

The measure: Does McCrory put such a testing regimen in place?

Promise Status: Failed.

McCrory took office on Jan. 5. Although he does not directly oversee the K-12 education system, he does appoint members to the state school board and its chairman. He also plays a role in drafting the state budget, which contains funding for educational programs.

Updated 12/7/2016: No bill to require such a 9th grade testing regimen, or the accompanying extra help for failing students, ever passed the General Assembly. While some individual school systems have programs akin to this, the governor did not put such a statewide program in place.

Updated 1/10/2014: "There are 8th grade eog tests that can be used for flag students who are likely to need extra support to succeed in 9th grade," says a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Instruction. However, there is no test that measures student performance as they enter 9th grade.

Updated 1/15/2015: McCrory's education team says he is still working on this one. "We are in the process of working with the State Board, the General Assembly, and educators and parents from across the state to craft a modernized system of learning and assessment for students," said Eric Guckian, McCrory's senior education policy adviser. The governor, he said, "continues to be committed to having a high bar for reading and math that measures what North Carolina's students know and what they can do so they can compete for real world jobs."

Updated 12/9/2015: Nothing much as changed with regard to this promise over the past year. While there have been significant bits of education policy to clear the legislature, there's been nothing specific with regard to ninth graders. While we're withholding judgment for the time being, it is likely this promise will go in the "failed" category simply because it was too specific.

Source

• Pat McCrory: K-12 Education

During the campaign, McCrory's economic plan included, "Pat McCrory will lead overseas trade missions to open new markets for North Carolina products. Specifically, the McCrory administration will prioritize trade missions to India and countries in Southeast Asia." He also spoke about those plans on the campaign trail.

The measures: Does McCrory lead a trade mission? Does he or top leaders go to Southeast Asia?

Promise Status: Achieved

McCrory took office Jan. 5.

Update 1/10/2014: McCrory has not yet gone on any overseas trade missions, but he plans to this year, says spokesman Ryan Tronovich.

Update 1/08/2015: McCrory's Commerce Secretary, Sharon Decker, went on one or two overseas trade missions during the past year, but the man himself did not.

Asked during the first week of January 2015 if he planned to head overseas, McCrory was noncommittal.

"I'm not going to comment on that at this point in time, but we do hope to get overseas," McCrory said.

At this point, we're leaving this as an "In progress" promise and will update either when the governor heads abroad or when he reaches the end of his term without an overseas trip.

Update 1/14/2015: McCrory took a step toward making good on this promise on Jan. 13, 2015 when headed to Great Britain on a business recruiting trip. "I can say the primary focus is recruiting manufacturing jobs," McCrory spokesman Josh Ellis wrote in an email. We're withholding the big green "thumbs up" sign for the moment because this trip involves Europe rather than Asia, as he specified in his original promise.

Updated 12/9/2015: Commerce Sec. John Skvarla headed to China this year. It's also worth noting other state officials, such as Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, have traveled to Asia as well. As a result, we're upgrading this promise to "Achieved."

Source

• Pat McCrory: Support Key Industries

McCrory has been critical of both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, saying they have failed to deal with a looming $2.8 billion debt to the federal government that was racked up paying for unemployment claims.

The debt is "going to be one of the biggest issues that I have to deal with immediately," McCrory told The Associated Press in an interview in September. Several times on the campaign trail, he pledged to set the state on a path to eliminating the debt. In the days running up to his swearing in, McCrory has repeated that this is a problem he wants to tackle.

The measure: Does McCrory reach an agreement with the legislature to eliminate North Carolina's unemployment debt?

Promise status: Achieved

On 2/19/13, Gov. Pat McCrory signed a bill that will pay down the unemployment debt.  Read more about this bill from our issue tracker.

Source

• Associated Press story, published Nov. 18. 

McCrory has been circumspect when asked about the use of economic development incentives to lure companies. He said he would deal with them on a case-by-case basis. However, he has been clear about a desired not to use "up-front" cash grants, such as those offered Continental Tire. "Pat McCrory will end the practice of giving certain companies up-front cash incentives," he wrote on his website.

The measure Does McCrory avoid giving "up-front" incentives during his term?

Promise Status: Achieved

McCrory took office Jan. 5 and thus far has not endorsed an up-front incentives grant.

UPDATE (12/9/2015): As of the end of McCrory's third year in office he has kept this promise so far. He has also lobbied for and endorsed a program of structured incentives, even for large projects, that only reward companies once they've invested here. Given that patter, we're upgrading this measure to a "achieved."

Source

• Pat McCrory: Tax Reform

When asked during a WRAL-TV debate what further restrictions on abortion he would agree to sign, McCrory said, "none." It is worth noting, however, the McCrory said response to a survey by the Family Policy Research Council that he did not believe state funding should go to organizations that provide abortions.

The measure: Does McCrory sign a bill that further limits abortion?

Promise Status: Promise Broken

Gov. Pat McCrory announced he signed a bill dealing with the state's abortion laws on Monday July 29. Signing that bill violates his campaign promise because it will limit access to abortion for at least some women.

Updated 01/08/2015: The McCrory administration has asked us to take a second look at this ruling now that rules implementing this bill have been proposed. 

It is fair to note that the rules offered by the Department of Health and Human Services do not draw in some of the so-called TRAP rules – "targeted regulation of abortion providers" – that abortion rights advocates had feared. However, it's also fair to point out that those rules are not yet final and still could be rewritten, particularly if they are sent back to the legislature.  

At this point, we're leaving this as a "Promise Broken," but promising to revisit after the rules concerning the laws are fully adopted.

However, there are aspects of this bill itself that make it unlikely we will revise this rating. Foremost among those are two measures related to insurance. One of the measures in question forbids state and local governments from funding insurance policies for their employees that includes abortion coverage. Also, the bill limits insurance policies offered through the Affordable Care Act exchanges from offering abortion coverage. Those two items certainly make abortions more expensive for women to obtain and there limit the availability of the procedure. 

Sources

• Gubernatorial debate, Oct. 24
• 2012 N.C. Voter Guide: Questionnaire for State Candidates

Pat McCrory says that North Carolina's high corporate tax rate is hurting business recruitment.

"At a minimum, I would like to have our income tax and corporate tax be competitive with our neighboring states of South Carolina and Virginia," McCrory said during a WRAL-TV debate.

The measure: Does the state reduce business taxes during McCrory's first term?

Promise Status: Promise Kept

The tax bill that Gov. McCrory signed in July of 2013 does lower corporate income tax rates. This is a promise kept.  

Source

• GOP has majority to update state's tax structure
• Pat McCrory: Tax Reform
• Gubernatorial debate, Oct. 24

"As governor, Pat McCrory will fight to eliminate the death tax for North Carolinians," he said on his web site.

The measure: Does McCrory eliminate North Carolina's inheritance tax?

Promise Status: Promise Kept

North Carolina's law is based on the federal version of the estate tax. State lawmakers will have to act in order to do away with the state-level tax. 

Update 7/29/13: The tax bill that Gov. Pat McCrory signed in July of 2013 does eliminate the state's inheritance tax. This is a promise kept. 

Source

• Pat McCrory: Tax Reform

Specifically, McCrory said he planned to "cut the individual income tax for all North Carolinians."

The measure: Does McCrory sign a bill that cuts the income tax for all North Carolinians?

Promise Status: Achieved 

McCrory's pledge lines up with the stated ambition of legislative leaders, so it should be possible for him to accomplish this during his first term. For this promise to be kept, income taxes do not have to be eliminated, but merely lowered for all brackets. 

Update (7/29/13): The governor signed a measure that lower individual income tax rates in July of 2013.

Update (8/07/13): This is an item that can be argued several different ways, but on balance it appears that McCrory has lived up to the letter of his promise. The tax bill he signed into last this summer lowers individual income tax rates and exempts a greater proportion of income from tax than is currently the case. Analysis by the non-partisan budget staff at the legislature shows virtually all types of income tax filers (singled, married, etc...) will see some benefit from the bill, even if that benefit is small. 

An important footnote: liberal think tanks such as the N.C. Budget and Tax Center will argue that North Carolina could have, and should have, kept the earned income tax credit as part of reform. That credit is slated to expire this year and had been under that sunset provision until McCrory took office. The BTC argues that if the earned income tax credit were factored into comparisons on the tax bill, more families would see their tax burdens increase somewhat.

However, the EITC expired as the result of legislative action before McCrory took office. As far as the bill he helped to negotiate and sign, the measure does met the test of cutting individual income taxes and we rate this as a promise achieved.  

Source

• Pat McCrory: Tax Reform
• GOP has majority to update state's tax structure

Although McCrory did not talk about specific targets, he did generally say that he would like to lower the corporate and income tax rates. And he did pledge during debates, on the campaign stump and on his website to lead a tax reform effort. "Our next governor must reform our state's out-of-date tax code with the 21st century economy in mind, reducing uncertainty for businesses and individuals," McCrory wrote as part of his plan for jump-starting the state's economy.

The measure: Does McCrory get a grand bargain on tax reform?

Promise Status: Achieved

McCrory's ideas generally line up with those of Republicans who control the General Assembly. However, both McCrory and legislative leaders have said that a grand bargain on taxes will go beyond simply lowering one or two rates.

In a January speech to the N.C. Chamber, McCrory said he expected push-back from the business community when he advocated for eliminating loopholes for some businesses. Whether McCrory can push through a sweeping reform measure may depend on his ability to rally legislative Republicans around the idea of a simpler tax code even while they face intense lobbying pressure. 

Updated 8/7/2013: McCrory signed a tax measure on July 23, although it's unclear whether the bill lives up to McCrory's definition of reform. The measure does lower corporate and individual tax rates, and closes a handful of loopholes. However, the system is structurally much the same. Sales taxes were largely unchanged. Both McCrory and lawmakers have said tax reform is "a process," and that they are likely to run another tax bill during the 2014 session, and it is conceivable they will continue tinkering with the tax code in 2015 and beyond. Given the state of flux, we rate this promise as "in progress" and will revisit it after the next legislative session. 

Updated 1/16/2015: A year on from signing the 2013 tax bill, and the state has received plaudits for its reform efforts, mainly from conservative groups such as the Tax Foundation. And many of the changes in the 2013 tax bill began to take effect in 2014. The state's tax system is not radically different from what it was two years ago – North Carolina still relies on a mix of sales tax and individual and corporate income tax. But the rates paid have change and there are ongoing discussions about items such as municipal privilege license taxes and economic development incentives. 

It's fair to note that not everyone is happy with these changes. But given the totality of work on this topic, we rate this as a promise achieved. 

Source

• Pat McCrory: Tax Reform
• GOP has majority to update state's tax structure

American's for Tax Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based group, asks candidates for office to pledge not to increase taxes. McCrory signed such as pledge that says he "will oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes."

The measure: Does McCrory avoid signing an tax increase during his first term?

Promise Status: Mixed results 

McCrory is just taking office, but it's unlikely the Republican-held General Assembly will send him a budget that increases taxes. The bigger question may be whether there is a tax increase embedded in any tax reform deal.

Updated 1/10/2014: The General Assembly passed, and McCrory signed, a tax reform bill in 2013. Overall, the bill raises less money than it takes in over two years. 

The measure purports to offer income tax cuts across a broad spectrum of income earners. The bulk of the cuts go to corporations and high income earners. 

The pledge McCrory signed was crafted by Americans for Tax Reform, a group lead by Grover Norquist. Norquist himself came to Raleigh to praise the bills that eventually became North Carolina's tax reform measure. 

"He said all of them comported with the tax reform pledge," said Art Pope, McCrory's budget director and a long-time backer of conservative causes. "Tax reform mean making taxes simpler, more streamlined."

Given all of that, it's hard to argue that McCrory has completely missed the mark with this pledge. However, as McCrory acknowledged in speaking engagements earlier this year, people began paying more tax on movie tickets starting Jan. 1. Those buying mobile homes also paid more in sale tax beginning the first of the year. And studies by legislative staff show that some lower income people could end up paying more in taxes than they did the year before, especially with the expiration of the state's earned income tax credit. 

Therefore, we rate this pledge as having "mixed results." By and large the state's new tax system reduces tax rates and collects less revenue. However, there are some specific instances in which taxpayers may end up paying more, which keeps us from rating this pledge as fully achieved. 

Source

• Americans for Tax Reform
• Taxpayer Protection Pledge

Pat McCrory repeatedly called for voters to be required to show photo ID at the polls during the campaign, going so far as to cut a campaign video encouraging voters to bring their ID to the polls during the primary. "I believe it is important to make sure our democracy and our elections are free and fair," McCrory said in response to a WRAL candidates questionnaire.

The measure: Is a voter ID law put in place during McCrory's first term?

Promise Status: Promise kept 

McCrory has continued to be supportive of Voter ID legislation. Legislative leaders say he will have the opportunity to sign such a bill this year. 

Update (7/29/13): A bill instituting a voter ID measure is sitting on McCrory's desk. Assuming he signs it, this will be a promise kept. 

Update: Gov. Pat McCrory has signed this bill and actively defended the measure. 

Source

• 2012 N.C. Voter Guide: Questionnaire for State Candidates
• Governor - WRAL Voter Guide

During an interview with WRAL's David Crabtree, McCrory promised, "we'll have continued communications with the media and the public as we go through the transition."

The measure: Does McCrory continue to speak with the media through the transition? Does he disclose the activities of his transition team in advance of taking office on Jan. 5?

Promise Status: Achieved

McCrory has held regular news conferences throughout the transition period, mainly when he wanted to introduce key players in his administration. And his staff did release a list of working group members charged with evaluating the current state of government agencies. Although it's unclear what the results of those working groups have been, those who have been familiar with other transitions said McCrory went a step further than prior governors by announcing his review and key players. 

Source

• Gov.-elect Pat McCrory prepares to lead NC

"I believe we must place a sunset provision on boards and commissions," McCrory said in response to a WRAL candidates survey. When asked about ways to slim down government during debates and on the campaign trail, McCrory frequently cited the need to cut down on the number of advisory boards and commissions.

"Pat McCrory will work to eliminate and/or combine missions for redundant commissions and committees to further streamline government," McCrory wrote on his campaign site.

The measure: Does McCrory trim the number of boards and commissions in state government?

Promise status: Achieved

The current legislative leadership has shown that it is willing to look at reducing the number of boards and commissions. McCrory could also decline to make appointments to boards he considers to be no longer useful.

Updated 1/10/2014: There has been no definitive action on this year. "Our boards and commissions team is still looking at options to consolidate, eliminate, or reduce duplicative or needless boards and commissions," said McCrory spokesman Ryan Tronovich.

Updated 1/16/2015: The governor is still working on this one. "Our team is still exploring options to reduce the number of boards and commissions and the governor has been a critic of expanding the number and has even sued the legislature over the creation of unaccountable commissions," McCrory spokesman Josh Ellis said.

Updated 12/9/2015: Lawmakers and the governor's have been chipping away at old boards and commissions over the past few years. As an example, House Bill 185 of 2015 gets rid of several old boards and commissions. The measure was an "agency bill," which means it was brought forward by the McCrory administration. Given that, this promise has been achieved.

Source

• Governor - WRAL Voter Guide
• Pat McCrory: Regulations

During the campaign, McCrory's campaign said he would release an ethics plan. That never happened. Generally, governors give some guidance to their staff early in their first term about what they expect in terms of ethical behavior. "Pat McCrory will be releasing a comprehensive plan and vision to reform our broken government after the conventions," the governor-elect wrote on his website.

The measure: Did the McCrory campaign ever release an ethics plan?

Promise Status: Broken

During the transition, McCrory did have members of his transition sign pledges for ethical conduct. But the campaign never developed the comprehensive ethics plan he promised. 

Source

• Dalton makes ethics pitch

Pat McCrory told the Charlotte Business Journal he would keep the governor's Charlotte office, first opened by Perdue, in operation.

The measure: Does the western office stay open through McCrory's first term?

Promise status: Achieved

McCrory is a former mayor of Charlotte and planned an open house there as part of his inaugural festivities. He has promised to lead an "outside the beltline" administration, indicating he wanted input from all parts of the state.

Updated Dec. 9, 2015: McCrory has kept this office open through three years of his administration and shows no signs of shutting it down. Therefore, we're rating it as achieved.

Source

• Pat McCrory jabs Bev Perdue - Charlotte Business Journal

"As governor, I will establish a partnership with neighboring states to develop offshore resources and recruit companies to bring a much-needed infusion of energy, jobs and investment to the state," McCrory wrote in response to a WRAL survey. When introducing his new secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, McCrory repeated that he hoped to take the needed steps  to clear the way for offshore energy exploration. 

The measure: Does McCrory establish such a partnership? Does the administration take other steps to develop offshore energy? 

Promise Status: Achieved 

McCrory took office on Jan. 5 and continues to be outwardly supportive of expanding energy production in North Carolina. 

UPDATE (2/12): Pat McCrory announced he's joining another group of state chief executives interested in expanding offshore energy exploration, the Associated Press reported. McCrory said Friday he's now part of the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition. It's a collection of coastal governors which has supported activities to encourage coastal energy production as part of national energy policy. The group's chairman is Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell.

UPDATE (2/14): Gov. Pat McCrory joined the governors from South Carolina and Virginia on Thursday to request that the federal government partner with the three states to expand off-shore oil and gas exploration.

Given McCrory's letter to the federal government and his part in the Outer Continental Shelf Governor's Coalition, it appears he has fulfilled his campaign promise. 

UPDATE (5/6): McCrory traveled to Texas in early May to push the federal government to open coastal waters for offshore drilling. 

Source

• Governor - WRAL Voter Guide

During a debate moderated by WRAL, McCrory was asked if he had a goal for lowering unemployment. He would not set a specific numerical target. "I think think the best way to measure things is to benchmark against your competitors. And within a year, I hope we're at least beating South Carolina. My gosh, we ought to at least be beating South Carolina, shouldn't we," he asked.

The measure: Does North Carolina's unemployment rate get and stay below South Carolina's?

Promise Status: Mixed Results

On Jan. 5, the date McCrory was sworn in, the most recent measure of North Carolina's unemployment rate was 9.1 percent. South Carolina's was 8.3 percent.

Update 1/10/2014: As of the end of the 2014, the most recent state-level unemployment figures are from November. North Carolina's unemployment rate has dropped, those figures show, but South Carolina's unemployment rate is still lower. However, a final call on this promise will not be made until figures for January are available later in 2014. 

Update 03/19/2014: Unemployment numbers for January are in. North Carolina's unemployment rate is lower than it was a year ago – 6.7 percent – but South Carolina's unemployment rate for January is lower still – 6.4 percent. While this particular metric has moved in the right direction, McCrory didn't get across the threshold of his statement from 2012: "And within a year, I hope we're at least beating South Carolina. My gosh, we ought to at least be beating South Carolina, shouldn't we."

Updated 01/16/2015: McCrory did not this goal by his stated timeline of taking office within one year. But it's worth noting two years in, North Carolina's unemployment rate is 5.8 percent, lower than South Carolina's 6.7 percent. We're upgrading this to a "mixed results," reflecting the fact that the governor achieved his goal, just not on the timeline he set out. 

Source

• Report: Unemployment especially hard on young 'millenials'
• Gubernatorial debate, Oct. 24

"As governor, my top priority will be to create a long-term economic development strategy to unleash the private sector to create jobs and put people back to work," McCrory wrote in response to a WRAL candidates questionnaire. 

The measure: Does McCrory develop and release a long-term economic development strategy?

Promise Status: In progress

McCrory took office on Jan. 5. When he announced the selection of his Commerce Secretary, Sharon Decker, he said she would be responsible for developing "the brand and the strategy for North Carolina's economy." 

Updated 1/10/14: The creation of a public private partnership to handle job recruitment and marketing activities for North Carolina is a key part of McCrory's economic development strategy. The General Assembly has also debated ways to make North Carolina more accommodating to businesses. However, the administration is still working on producing a "long-term economic development plan" as described in the campaign. Administration officials said they expect such a plan to be unveiled in 2014. 

Updated 03/19/14: In late January, business leaders handed McCrory a "road map" for economic development. In combination with the development of a new a new public-private partnership, this completes McCrory's promise to create "a long-term economic development strategy."

Source

• Governor - WRAL Voter Guide

As part of his campaign's economic plan, McCrory promised to establish "ExportNC," a public-private partnership that will provide private financing and industry expertise to small- and medium-sized businesses, allowing them to increase exports by working with international businesses."

The measure: Does McCrory establish Export NC?

Promise Status: Achieved

Update 2/8/2013: We have not seen "Export NC" established. However, McCrory did push for the establishment of a cold storage facility at the Port of Wilmington that will allow for the export of more pork and poultry products. 

Update: 01/10/2014: Asked where this priority stood, McCrory spokesman Ryan Tronovitch said the following: "The Governor and the International Trade Division at Commerce Staff have ramped up our export assistance to small and medium sized businesses via our program NC Passport To Export. Since January 2013, this program has worked with over 300 North Carolina businesses to help increase their exports and we have seen a growth in NC exports of over 7% between January 2013 and November 2013. The program involves direct client consulting , bringing NC business delegations to overseas trade shows, as well as training and education seminars to help firms gain the skills necessary to be a successful exporter. A number of exciting new initiates are underway, to be announced as part of the new Economic Development Partnership."

Source

• Pat McCrory: Support Key Industries

McCrory has said multiple times that North Carolina should preserve North Carolina's right-to-work status. He says the state should resist collective bargaining for public sector workers and that right-to-work is a key factor in bringing companies here.

"We cannot have collective bargaining," McCrory said during a WRAL-TV debate.

In response to a NC Free Enterprise Foundation Survey, McCrory agreed that North Carolina's status as a Right to Work state should be enshrined in the constitution.

The measure: Does McCrory reject any bills granting further rights to unions? Is he supportive of constitutional amendments regarding right-to-work?

Promise Status: Achieved  

McCrory took office Jan. 5. The legislature will not meet for regular business until Jan. 30. North Carolina governors do not have the ability to sign or veto bills proposing constitutional amendments, but can speak publicly for or against them.

Updated 01/08/2015: So far, McCrory has kept this promise. It would be a big reversal for him to push some sort of pro-union agenda and its unlikely his legislature is going to send him a pro-union bill. We're going to upgrade this promise to "Kept so far," and feel confident we'll be bumping it up to an "achieved" at the end of two more years.

Updated 12/9/2015: As with our last review, McCrory has showed no sign of backing out of his pledge to preserve North Carolina's status as a right-to-work state. Given his track record and the unlikely prospects for any change during the 2016 legislative session, we're upgrading this promise to "Achieved."

Source

• N.C. FreeEnterprise Foundation, 2012 Questionnaire
• Gubernatorial debate, Oct. 24

On the campaign trail, Pat McCrory pledged to make government more business friendly and develop "a culture of customer service." While many of these promises are hard to quantify, McCrory did specifically say he would, "Include industry leaders and farmers in policy decisions such as tax reform and eliminating excessive regulations."

The measure: Will McCrory or his top deputies be able to point to ways in which industry leaders were included in policy decisions?

Promise Status: Achieved

Before taking office, McCrory used news conferences to tell his cabinet secretaries in public they should consult with industry leaders while making policy.

Update 1/10/2014: This goal is hard to quantify, but McCrory can point to his appointments of business leaders to the state's Economic Development Board as one example of consultation. And he plans to use the executives for a newly create public private partnership with the Commerce Department to advise him on where he should travel on overseas trade missions. As well, McCrory has had a number of high-profile meetings with business leaders, including a late-2013 trip to visit venture capitalists in California. 

Asked about this goal, McCrory spokesman Ryan Tronovich added, "On top of appointments, boards, commissions, etc., the governor meets with industry leaders and farmers, as well as many others here at his office and out in the community."

Source

• Pat McCrory: Support Key Industries

McCrory has emphasized the need to value vocational education since his first run for governor in 2008. He continued that theme on the campaign trail this year, saying that too many students were asked to take classes in high school to which they could not relate.

"Instead of the present system of providing only one pathway to a high school diploma, we need to reform the system and provide two pathways," reads McCrory's education policy proposal.

The measure: Does McCrory get his two-track system in place?

Promise Status: Accomplished 

McCrory takes office on Jan. 5. It is likely any plan such as this would have to be part of a budget proposal and/or legislative program pushed by the new governor. 

Updated 2/18/2013: Gov. Pat McCrory signed a bill into law this morning that creates endorsements for high school diplomas that show a student is ready for work, college or both. 

Source

• Pat McCrory: K-12 Education

Referencing education reform efforts in Florida, McCrory, like many Republicans, called for laws requiring that students be able to read before they leave third grade. "The first step is to stop social promotions for third grade students and create a tough-love strategy to improve literacy," McCrory wrote in his education plan.

The measure: Do North Carolina third graders improve their scores on end-of-grade reading comprehension exams during the McCrory administration? Does the state end social promotion? 

Promise Status: Achieved

Ending social promotion was a key tenet of the education policies put forward by the state Senate last year. It seems likely that policy contained in the 2012 budget plus continued support from McCrory will help make this promise a reality.

Update 1/10/14: The General Assembly has passed standards that require testing for students as they reach the end of third grade. "The Read to Achieve law will make it much harder to pass a student forward with less than passing marks on the (End of Grade tests) in reading," says a Department of Public Instruction spokeswoman. While this certainly gets at the spirit of what McCrory promised, we'll revisit this promise later in the administration. 

Update 12/24/14: While lawmakers have had to tweak the requirements somewhat, the state does now have a requirement that third graders pass a reading test before they leave third grade. Although this law was most vocally championed by Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, it fulfills McCrory's campaign promise. 

Source

• Pat McCrory: K-12 Education

Pat McCrory said that he would like to eliminate the backlog of parents who have applied to get their children in charter schools by making sure new charter schools are approved quickly. "We must implement a process to ensure that parents and students are not left in limbo on their school options," McCrory wrote in his education plan.

The measure: Can a McCrory administration eliminate the backlog of families waiting to get their children in to charter schools? Is the process to get a charter school approved made faster and easier?

Promise Status: Achieved

McCrory does not have direct oversight over charter school expansion, but he can support it through his budget proposals and other policy measures. 

Update 1/10/2014: McCrory does not oversee the Department of Public Instruction, which is responsible for authorizing new charter schools. And he has not had the opportunity to sign major legislation related to charter schools. However, the state is continuing to authorize dozens of new charter schools every year, giving parents more public school options. McCrory cannot claim credit for this directly, but the state is moving in the direction he pointed to during the campaign. 

Update 12/24/2014: At the beginning of 2014, we took note of the fact that the governor doesn't have a great deal of direct oversight with regard to schools, although he does appoint the state Board of Public Education, which has generally been expanding the number of charter options available in North Carolina. He has also signed a bill which has brought about the likely offering of online charter schools. Given that new charters have been approved each year of his term, and the types of charters available are expanding, McCrory has achieved this goal. 

Source

• Pat McCrory: K-12 Education

Pat McCrory said on the campaign trail that parents and students could easily identify the "good" teachers at a particular school. The Republican says the state should reward those teachers with higher pay. "We will reform our pay system to reward teachers for the job they do instead of just the number of years they teach," McCrory wrote in his education plan.

The measure: Does the state adopt a pay-for-performance plan?

Promise Status: Achieved 

The legislature directed schools to begin developing "pay for excellence" plans for their teachers in the current budget. McCrory can help follow through on that directive. 

Update (8/7/13): Two items inform our decision to rank this as a promise achieved. The budget McCrory signed into law for 2013 provides money for $500 pay raises for "each teacher opting to enter into a four-year contract based on effectiveness." Also, in McCrory announced plans to reward "master teachers" with stipends "to implement career- and college-ready standards." Given these two policies, this promise is achieved. 

Source

• Pat McCrory: K-12 Education

"Pat McCrory will require schools to provide a stronger practical justification for more space before new capital projects are approved on university and community college campuses," reads McCrory's education plan.

The measure: Does McCrory put new rules in place controlling the growth of university and community college campuses?

Promise status: Achieved

Governors do not have direct oversight over the university and community college systems, but they do have budget oversight powers. McCrory could refuse to include capital expansions in his proposed budget and/or establish procedures that colleges would have to follow before he would back their expansion efforts.

Updated Jan. 15, 2015: McCroy hasn't had the change to approve many new capitol projects within the UNC system. The state budget regularly carries line items to repair or build new buildings using non-taxpayer funds, such as revenue from fees and McCrory has signed two of those budget. But he has not yet had the chance to work with a major building initiative.

"We have not approved new capital projects yet, but we do plan to require a stronger practical justification whenever we pass a bond issue for new projects," said McCrory budget director Lee Roberts.

Updated Dec. 9, 2015: The governor's position appears to have evolved on the issue of higher education building. During the 2012 campaign, he was skeptical of the need for new construction on college campuses. Over his term, McCrory has recounted visiting buildings – particularly engineering and science labs – in desperate need of upgrades. Those tours seem to have helped bring about a $2 billion bond package that McCrory has and continues to champion.

It's would be a stretch to say that the bond spending represents a new vetting process for university and community college construction. But bond spending does come with more structure and strings attached than other sorts of borrowing. And the campus projects on the bond list have gotten sign-off from the McCrory administration, lawmakers and will have to go to voters. We rate this as achieved.

Source

• Pat McCrory: Higher Education

The state's equity formula divides transportation up by regions. It was originally designed to make sure transportation funds were evenly distributed throughout the state. McCrory argues that it has become outdated, saying it punishes areas of the state with interstate highways. "This equity formula has got to be changed so that we have separate revenue streams and more equal distribution for those areas that have interstate highways going through them," he said during a debate moderated by WRAL. 

The measure: Does McCrory alter or eliminate the equity formula?

Promise status: Promise Kept

McCrory would need the help of the General Assembly to eliminate the equity formula. 

Update: McCrory has proposed changes to how the state distributes transportation dollars, concentrating funding on statewide and regional projects. The legislature has passed House Bill 817, which is awaiting McCrory's signature. 

Update: McCrory has signed a bill that overhauls the state's transportation funding system. This is a promise kept. 

Source

• Gubernatorial debate, Oct. 24

Pat McCrory pledged during the campaign to create a "long-term" transportation plan. Although that's not a specific timeframe, McCrory frequently cited Charlotte's 25-year traffic infrastructure plan as a model. It's worth noting that individual transportation districts around the state already develop long-range plans known as STIPs and that Gov. Bev Perdue ordered the drafting of a 30-year transportation plan known as the 2040 plan. Still, McCrory is talking about his own idea for a long-range transportation vision, presumably one that business leaders would be able to use in order to plan site relocation and similar decisions.

"Pat McCrory will bring private sector and government leaders together to create a descriptive 25-year transportation and infrastructure plan to send a clear signal to the business community of the state's future investment in roads, railroads, bridges, ports, airports and other infrastructure," McCrory wrote in his economic policy proposal.

The measure: Does McCrory develop a 25-year transportation plan that's somehow different from the TIP process?

Promise Status: Achieved 

When McCrory introduced his new Secretary of Transportation, Tony Tata, he repeated his desired to develop at 25-year transportation plan and charged Tata with taking the lead on developing it. 

Update 1/10/2014: In interviews at the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014, McCrory said he expected Tata to roll out a 25-year plan this year.  

Update 12/24/14: Throughout 2013 and 2014, McCrory has talked a lot about transportation. In 2014, he unveiled his 25-year transportation plan and began talking about ways to pay for transportation needs. 

Source

• Pat McCrory: Transportation & Infrastructure

On the potential for roughly 2,000 mentally ill people to lose their placement in group homes, McCrory said the Perdue administration had made mistakes dealing with the crisis. Gov. Bev Perdue moved money around during her last month in office to keep people in their homes, but a long-term fix will have to be developed by the legislature and McCrory.  "We've got to find a place (for them) to live," McCrory said.

The measure: Does North Carolina develop a long-term solution that keeps mentally ill people and Alzheimer's patients in their group homes?

Promise Status: Mixed.

McCrory takes office on Jan. 5. Perdue's temporary funding runs out at the end of January, and the General Assembly does not fully return to work until Jan. 30, which means this may be one of McCrory's most pressing agenda items upon taking office.

Updated (2/8/2013): The temporary funding Perdue provided was supposed to last until the end of January. House lawmakers have passed a bill extending the patch funding until a more permanent solution can be crafted as part of the state budget. However, Senate lawmakers have so-far not taken up the bill. The Office of Administrative hearings has begun hearing appeals from group home residents who lost the "personal care services" at the heart of the funding issue.

"Now we're playing a little bit of Russian Roulette," said Julia Adams, a lobbyist for the Arc of North Carolina, which advocates on behalf of developmentally disabled people. She said that if a resident's appeal is rejected by the OAH, they will either lose their group home placement or the group home will incur costs that won't be reimbursed. 

Because this outcome is the result of Senate inaction, the Promise Tracker rates this as a promise failed. 

Update (2/20/13): The state Senate is beginning to take action on this bill. 

Update (3/6/13): In order to absolutely have headed off any potential for people to lose their group home placements, McCrory would have needed to take action by Jan. 31. That's the date through which temporary funding put in place by former Gov. Bev Perdue ran out. McCrory also said this measure would be a high priority for his administration. However, lawmaker didn't pass this bill until late February and McCrory didn't sign it for a week after it landed on his desk. While experts say it will head off most of the short term problems, this didn't get done with the speed with which McCrory indicated he would move back in December of 2012. 

Source

• McCrory preparing to take office

Gov. Pat McCrory took office on Jan. 5, 2013, and like all politicians has made some promises to get the post. 

As the state's first Republican governor in 20 years, McCrory will face some unique problems and challenges, even with a GOP-controlled legislature. WRAL News will keep up with the promises he made on the campaign trail to track his successes and failures over a four-year term. Is he able to cut taxes and reform government as he promised? Will teachers be paid for performance and will North Carolina move ahead with natural gas drilling? 

Story: McCrory has promises to keep

How it works

Scroll down and select a promise for its source, a summary and a check on its status. We'll also score it on the following scale:

• Achieved: The promise has been kept.
• Kept so far: McCrory has promised an ongoing behavior, such as refusing to sign a specific type of bill, and has thus far stuck to it. This is a promise that will be fully achieved only at the the end of his first term. 
• In progress: McCrory is working on the promise in question or hasn't had a reasonable amount of time to tackle the issue. 
• Mixed Results: McCrory has partially achieved his promised by failed to fully meet his goal.
• Failed: McCrory gave it a go but ran into problems, such as opposition from the legislature, that blocked his way.
• Broken: McCrory had the ability to follow through on his promise by did not do so. 

FAQ

Why doesn't WRAL track promises for President Barack Obama?

Many national news organizations track the president's performance. An especially good one is the Obameter available from Politifact at http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/.

Why didn't WRAL track promises for previous governors, including Bev Perdue?

In short, we didn't have the resources to pull this off when Gov. Perdue began her term.

We are always adding features to WRAL.com and among our commitments is transparent reporting on your elected representatives. We have expanded that coverage with @NCCapitol and the addition of staffers dedicated to more detailed, data-driven reporting from the legislature.

You can expect to see additional features over time.

How did WRAL choose which promises to track?

We identified 33 instances where Pat McCrory made specific, measurable promises on the campaign trail -- either through policy positions on his campaign website or in statements during debates or to the news media. Each statement will be scored on a scale ranging from "Achieved," for promises kept, to "Broken" where McCrory reverses himself.