Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's gubernatorial campaign Tuesday defended attack advertisements against Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.

McCrory, a Republican, and Perdue, a Democrat, have been fighting tooth-and-nail in a tight race for governor. McCrory, in an interview with The Pilot Monday, called the ads "lies."

Perdue spokesman David Kochman responded in an e-mail to The Pilot. He said that the ads refer to the Solid Waste Management Act of 2007.

"No matter how Pat McCrory tries to spin it," a Perdue press release attached to the e-mail said, "the simple fact is that the Solid Waste Management Act of 2007 -- which he says he would have vetoed -- was about preventing North Carolina from becoming the garbage capital of the East Coast."

The bill put an end to plans to build six new major landfills in North Carolina by instituting a $2-per-ton disposal fee. Perdue's campaign says that without that legislation, North Carolina would have become the dump of the East Coast.

McCrory said Monday that he was against the bill because the League of Municipalities opposed it and because it would cost Charlotte $2 million. He said it's a lie to say that he wants to bring New York City's garbage to North Carolina.

Perdue's campaign also took issue with McCrory's claim that he would not run negative ads in response. It points out that McCrory began running a radio ad Tuesday that defends himself on the trash issue while attacking Perdue on her stance on roads and saying he wants to change the "culture of corruption."

Because McCrory used Perdue's name, he had to record an ender to the advertisement: "I'm Pat McCrory and I approved and paid for this ad."

McCrory was proud to proclaim on Monday that he had not had to record such a message all campaign long.

The article that appeared on The Pilot's Web site Tuesday cited a Rasmussen poll from Friday that had McCrory four points ahead of Perdue. Her campaign was quick to point out that Public Policy Polling released a poll Tuesday showing Perdue with a three-point lead.

Real Clear Politics calls Public Policy a partisan Democratic poll. Real Clear Politics' average of all non-partisan polls show McCrory with a .5 percent lead.

Contact Matthew Moriarty at 693-2479 or by e-mail at moriarty@thepilot.com.