RALEIGH — WRAL-TV was reporting this morning that Gov. Bev Perdue has decided not to seek re-election to a second term.

The Associated Press was working to confirm that story, but had been unable to do so before The Robesonian newspaper went to press.

Perdue, a Democrat, won election in 2008, defeating Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. McCrory is considered the favorite to represent Republicans on the ballot during the November General Election for governor.

Perdue, 65, is the first female governor of North Carolina. She began her political career in the 1980s, serving in the state House of Representatives. She then served five terms in the state Senate before she was elected as lieutenant governor. As lieutenant governor, Perdue cast the tie-breaking vote that established the state lottery.

Perdue recently floated the idea of a 1-cent sales tax as a way to fund education in the state, which she says has been crippled by cuts by the Republican-led General Assembly. Political pundits said at the time that the proposal was a gamble, and a way for Perdue to distinguish herself from McCrory during the upcoming campaign.