Pat McCrory Can’t Find a Job

Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory says employers are "reluctant to hire" him because of the backlash the anti-LGBT House Bill 2 has received, reports

HB 2 "has impacted me to this day, even after I left office. People are reluctant to hire me, because 'oh my gosh, he's a bigot' -- which is the last thing I am," McCrory said last week in a podcast interview with evangelical Christian news site World.

McCrory, who took more than a month to concede his loss when he ran for reelection against Democrat Roy Cooper, then elaborated in a Monday interview with The News & Observerof Raleigh. "I've currently accepted several opportunities in business to do work that I'd done prior to becoming governor in consulting and advisory board positions, and I've also been exploring other opportunities in academia, nonprofits and government," the Republican politician said. "And I'll hopefully be making some of those decisions in the near future."

HB 2 struck down LGBT-inclusive antidiscrimination ordinances in cities and counties statewide, and prohibits cities from adopting any new ones. It also expressly requires transgender people to use public bathrooms and locker rooms that do not match their gender identity, when those facilities are located in government buildings, including public schools.

McCrory didn't name the companies he's consulting for. He's been considered for part-time teaching positions at universities, he said, but school leaders "have shown reluctance because of student protests."

"That's not the way our American system should operate -- having people purged due to political thought," McCrory told the newspaper. He told the paper that he was in talks with the Trump administration about a position but he hasn't been given a formal offer.

McCrory blamed liberals for his reputation as a bigot. In the interview with World, he said, "If you disagree with the politically correct thought police on this new definition of gender, you're a bigot, you're the worst of evil. It's almost as if I broke a law."

The former governor didn't rule out an opportunity to run for the position again in 2020. "I loved the job, and I would never rule out running again," McCrory told The News & Observer. "I've got to ask my wife. I don't know what my feeling will be two or three years from now. If I do decide to run, it will be curious if the conservatives stick with me."

The Democratic Party in North Carolina issued a statement in response to McCrory's comments on his employment opportunities.

"North Carolina has already lost hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and thousands of jobs as a direct result of House Bill 2, but I guess we can start adding Gov. McCrory's career to the total as well," said party spokesman Mike Gwin.