Sen. Patrick Ballantine, make that former Sen. Ballantine, crossed the political equivalent of the Rubicon Monday by stepping down from the North Carolina Senate to devote his full-time efforts in the coming weeks to winning the GOP nomination for governor. It remains to be seen whether the move will serve to separate the Wilmington Republican from a pack of gubernatorial candidates that is still largely amorphous in the view of many primary voters across the state.

Ballantine’s announcement seemed well-planned. At the end of last week, he put out the word that he would be holding a press conference on Monday to announce that he was stepping down from the minority leader post in the Senate. This generated an initial wave of buzz and anticipation, not least because there is no obvious successor to lead the GOP caucus in the Senate as it tries to attract enough money and candidate talent to mount a serious battle for control of the chamber this fall.

Then, when Monday came around, Ballantine made news again by announcing not just the leadership change but his retirement from a seat he had held for a decade. This was evidence either of a (politically fortuitous) change of heart over the weekend or a thoughtful strategy to make the most of his “Bob Dole moment” — when a veteran politician gives up his seat to push singlemindedly for the top job. Whatever its genesis, the result of his decision was to generate another round of state media coverage in the midst of a race that hasn’t made much news for months.

One of Ballantine’s rivals, former Congressman and State GOP Chairman Bill Cobey, has also showed skill in recent weeks by inserting himself via speeches or press releases in the middle of state political debates on taxes, the economy, and a critical state audit of the Easley administration’s management of the Medicaid program. Former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, however, still remains the frontrunner right now for the simple reason that as the former nominee in 2000, he is far better known than Cobey, Ballantine, and the rest of the Republican field (which includes conservative Sen. Fern Shubert of Union County, party stalwart and businessman George Little of Moore County, and Davie County Commissioner Dan Barrett).

If nothing remarkable happens in the gubernatorial race between now and July 20, the current primary date, then Vinroot will likely clinch a spot in a subsequent runoff, if not win the contest outright (though that would require a relatively high 40 percent of the vote). The former UNC player for Dean Smith is essentially on zone defense. That’s why Ballantine, Cobey, and the others are scrambling to find an open lane to the basket. With the next legislative session beginning in early May, it could prove difficult for these Republican candidates to draw attention away from Gov. Mike Easley’s inevitable sparring with state legislators. And money spent on campaign ads in June and July may not reach the usual swath of primary voters because of summer vacations and other distractions.

The upcoming session does invite a question: why would Ballantine step down now rather than trying to use his post in the Senate to draw contrasts between himself and Easley while emphasizing his legislative experience?

Probably because running for statewide office from the General Assembly has always been an idea more workable in theory than in practice. Besides, Ballantine won’t have to worry about having to vote on controversial issues that might dismay Republican primary voters, such as his decision last year to support corporate-incentives package. I also suspect that Ballantine is hoping his law partner, Woody White, will be appointed to fill his seat for the 2004 session, thus elevating the latter to a sort of quasi-incumbency status that may help him in a GOP primary in Ballantine’s Wilmington district, which is rated as competitive and has already drawn a serious Democratic candidate in Julia Boseman, vice chairwoman of the New Hanover County Commission.

Monday was certainly Ballantine’s Day. It remains to be seen if it will help to change the dynamics of a race that has yet to grab the attention of Republican voters in North Carolina.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation and publisher of Carolina Journal.