McCrory Lands Regular Radio Spot in Charlotte – WBT 2020?

You may be hearing a lot more from former Gov. Pat McCrory here soon as he has secured a regular slot on a Charlotte-area morning news talk radio show according to the Charlotte Observer. The development may indicate that McCrory’s ear, however, is close to the ground to pick up any rumblings of support for a 2020 run to re-occupy the mansion on Blount Street.

“The Republican who also long served as Charlotte’s mayor has landed a regular spot on talk radio station WBT-AM (1110) weekdays from 9 to 10 a.m., according to general manager Matt Hanlon. McCrory shares the time slot with station veteran Bo Thompson, who also hosts WBT’s “Morning News” from 5 to 9 a.m.

McCrory started in September with brief early-morning spots with Thompson around 7:15 a.m., as the Charlotte station looked to capitalize on his expertise during the mayoral race, Hanlon said. After the November election, McCrory committed to his new time slot for at least a couple of months, as he weighs other job possibilities.

The governor’s expanded role came after an “extraordinary” response to his early-morning spots, Hanlon said.”

The network said they saw a substantial bump in ratings around his guest appearances where he talked about current events and politics, even sore subjects from his term as governor. So, is this a holding pattern that keeps McCrory in the news in anticipation of another crack at it in 2020?

“Nothing has been set, and at this point I don’t even see consensus on the Senate side of the Capitol,” Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), who has been in talks with the Senate about the idea, said.

McCrory, who lost his campaign for a second term last November, hasn’t ruled out running for his old job in 2020. But Hanlon said he doesn’t see McCrory’s new role as a campaign platform.

[…]

Hanlon said he would like McCrory to stay long term. McCrory has previously said the backlash against House Bill 2 – the controversial LGBT bill he signed in March 2016 – made some employers reluctant to hire him.

“I just know his sphere of influence is broad,” Hanlon said. “He knows a lot of people. We have people down the hall (at the station) for other reasons, and they see him and stop in the studio, the CEO of LendingTree (Doug Lebda) the other day. I’m sure he has a lot of irons in the fire, but he hasn’t shared them with me.”

McCrory declined to comment.”

Yeah right. Sounds like McCrory is surveying the land again to see how fertile his 2020 prospects truly are.

Too soon? Too late?

Either way, McCrory is likely an obstacle or two among the field…maybe even a whole Forest.

Read the rest of the report here.