(RALEIGH) -- ..For the first time since 1993, North Carolina's next Governor will come from west of Raleigh. Democratic Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton of Rutherford County will face former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the Republican nominee.  

In his victory speech,  Dalton was critical of the current Republican legislature and tried to link them with the GOP nominee.

“This legislature --- with Pat McCrory in tow – cut our Community Colleges, cut our higher education,” said Dalton. “Not only damaging our present, but damaging our future.”

Dalton had enough to avoid a runoff with former Congressman Bob Etheridge.  Etheridge said he was proud of running a clean campaign.

“The past couple of months have really been a sprint and a marathon all  rolled into one,” said Etheridge. “We’ve rejected the negative politics that too often poisons public discourse.”

Dalton also had four other challengers, including State Rep. Bill Faison of Orange County, who predicted late last year that the current Democratic incumbent Bev Perdue would not run again.

 McCrory also had a field of unknown challengers, and spoke with his supporters spoke with his supporters in Charlotte and touted reforms in education.  

“I have a passion for education, a passion to help our teachers, a passion to have when kids graduate form our high schools they won’t have to go back to have to our community colleges to have remedial reading and remedial math classes,” says McCrory. “I want them to get it right the first time in our high schools. That’s going to be our goal.”

There's also a third candidate in the race -- Libertarian Barbara Howe.