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North Carolina may be a make-or-break stop in the Democratic presidential race, but a contentious gubernatorial primary will also be on the ballot when residents of the Tar Heel State vote on May 6.

Two of term-limited Gov. Michael Easley's (D) administration officials are vying to succeed him, and polls show a dead heat between Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and Treasurer Richard Moore. While mudslinging is nothing new between the pair, a new barrage of negative ads has hit North Carolina airwaves with just a month left in the race.

In a new TV spot (subscription), Perdue chides Moore for accepting money from Wall Street both as treasurer and as a candidate. "Moore's invested our pension money with sleazy payday lenders," the ad alleges. Moore returned the favor with a spot (subscription) criticizing Perdue for "cav[ing] in to special interests as one of the state's top budget writers."

Not all of the Democrats' ads have been negative, however. Both Perdue and Moore this week have sought to woo the state's black community by touting their endorsement of Barack Obama in mailings and on radio stations with primarily black audiences.

Meanwhile, in his quest for the GOP nomination, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory recently released a more positive spot (subscription) of his own. McCrory, who has a double-digit lead [PDF] over his primary competitors, uses the ad to tout a program he instituted as mayor to deport illegal immigrants brought into police custody. "Once I'm governor, we'll put the program in place everywhere in North Carolina," he says.