In a nod to the balancing act, McCrory described during an interview Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press ''the disconnect we have between the corporate suites and main street, saying he was recently praised by small-town voters shortly before fielding a phone call from a concerned corporate leader.
During his first gubernatorial campaign and in 14 years as Charlotte's mayor, McCrory cultivated an image as a moderate "business Republican" who prioritized economic development over social issues.
[...] things appeared to change when he signed a divisive voter ID law in 2013, and an immigration bill last year restricting local governments' policies on ID cards and police tactics.
"Once he cast his lot with one side it makes it real difficult because if you backtrack, now you risk alienating the people that gave you a bunch of attaboys when you signed the legislation," said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia.
In the North Carolina law, a provision requires transgender students in public schools and universities to use bathrooms corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate.
In Georgia, the negative publicity dwindled after the governor's veto of a piece of legislation that would have allowed businesses to refuse service based on religious beliefs.
