DURHAM — Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton kicked off his campaign for N.C. governor during a troubled economic period that he called a “crossroads” for the state.

About 40 people attended the rally at a small room in the Golden Belt, a textile mill in Durham that was converted into retail and office space after its operations ceased in 1996.

Dalton said the state needs to undergo a similar process of revitalization and urged attendees to support his candidacy.

“Just like Durham 15 years ago, North Carolina is at a crossroads,” he said. “The decisions we make in 2012 can either set us back or lay the groundwork for even a better future.”

Focusing on education in his speech, Dalton cited the importance of public schools in grooming students for the state’s future workforce and pointed to the role of university research in boosting the economy.

He linked Pat McCrory, the former mayor of Charlotte and the only Republican expected to file for the governor’s seat, to cuts in education funding enacted by the N.C. General Assembly last summer. Republicans assumed majorities in both state legislative chambers last year for the first time since 1898.

“The Republican leadership said they were coming to Raleigh to cut fraud and waste,” he said. “I’m all for cutting fraud and waste, but job recruitment, teachers and financial aid are not fraud and waste.”

Durham Mayor Bill Bell endorsed Dalton at the event and called him a “fighter,” praising his work as a N.C. senator and his sponsorship of a 2003 bill that created an early college system for high school students.

Three other candidates have filed for the Democratic gubernatorial primary, including Rep. Bill Faison, D-Orange. Former Congressman Bob Etheridge is expected to join the crowded field that has emerged after Gov. Bev Perdue announced she would not run for re-election last month.

A salient issue in the campaign will be Perdue’s proposal to reinstate three-quarters of a temporary one-cent sales tax to restore education funding.

McCrory has joined Republican legislators in expressing opposition to extending the sales tax, saying it would be an extra burden on families already struggling in a state economy with an unemployment rate of 9.9 percent.

Dalton said he supports the extension, though he’s willing to consider other proposals brought forward by the legislature.

George Miller, a former state representative who worked with Dalton in the legislature, said Dalton will not back down from negotiating with legislators.

“The legislature has its own job to do,” he said. “But it takes a strong governor to push the legislature to do their job.”

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