The presence of Libertarian candidate Lon Cecil did little to soften the testy exchanges between the two main candidates.
The debate at Raleigh’s WRAL came three weeks before the election and just two days before the start of early voting. It also took place amid rising political tension punctuated by the weekend firebombing of a Republican headquarters in Hillsborough. McCrory called the incident “an attack on democracy.”
In what may be the nation’s highest-profile gubernatorial race, the two are locked in a close battle for the state’s highest office. Cooper leads by 3 percentage points in Real Clear Politics polling average.