State Rep. Bill Faison started laying the groundwork for a maverick run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in September, months before Gov. Bev Perdue announced she would not run again. He began holding news conferences, speaking around the state and debating the presumed Republican nominee, former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory. Since then he has expanded his jobs platform with proposals about education and the environment.

But the four-term Orange County Democrat's head start hasn't erased obstacles between him and the May 8 primary election. He had a dismal showing in the first poll of gubernatorial candidates. And Faison, 65, has been going through a protracted divorce that has aired nasty accusations that could be used against him.

Faison, in an interview last week, seemed unperturbed about the prospect of it tarnishing his campaign. He said he is not worried because the accusations are untrue.

The divorce - which includes accusations of extramarital affairs - would be an unfortunate but common he-said-she-said breakup that would not be a matter of broader interest were Faison not running for the highest office in the state. His decision to run in spite of it raises the question of how much a candidate's private behavior matters these days.

Candidates' personal lives can be more of an issue in the primary than in the general election, said N.C. State University political science professor Andrew J. Taylor.

"One of the arguments made to the primary electorate is 'We're all one family and we have to have a candidate who is electable,' " Taylor said. "The biggest thing is to find the best person to beat the other side, and obviously these kinds of things undercut your case ..."

Faison, who is a wealthy medical malpractice lawyer, married Lindy Faison, at the time a public relations and marketing firm owner, in 1988. They had four children by the time they decided, in 2008, to split up.

Attempts to divide their property amicably failed, and in 2010 Lindy Faison filed a complaint in Orange County Superior Court for alimony and equitable distribution of assets. She made accusations in that document, which has since been widely circulated in political circles, that many thought would dissuade him from seeking higher office.

Faison said last week he would let a counterclaim he filed in October in answer to her claims speak for itself.

Lindy Faison claims that he was a "womanizer," that he read pornography and that he left her with tax debt on property they owned. Faison denies all that in his court filings.

The couple's divorce was granted in November, but they are still fighting over finances.

Lindy Faison couldn't be reached for comment.