Not too long ago, many of the political movers and shakers around the state capital wondered whether Mike Easley might end up a one-term governor.

Lobbyists and legislators often grumbled about his unwillingness to engage in any political horse-trading, and how he seemed disengaged at key times on key issues.

Easley came into office as the state and country entered an economic downturn that led to job losses and sluggish tax collections. The resulting budget shortfalls forced him to take a number of unpopular steps, including raids on local government money.

It all looked like a recipe for disaster for a Democratic incumbent governor who had never really been embraced by the party establishment.

But with the 2004 general election a little more than a year away, Easley is now looking a lot stronger than many incumbent governors around the country.

A host of Republicans is vying to challenge Easley next year, so his re-election is far from certain. And not all the complaints from Democratic legislative leaders have stopped, particular after his threatened veto of the state budget nearly resulted in a stalemate.

Political analysts, though, believe voters couldn't care less about the intra-party squabbles.

"Easley is a very cagey politician. He knows exactly where he needs to position himself," said Ted Arrington, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. "He drives the Democrats crazy because they never know where he is going to come out, what is going to do. But the voters don't care about that."

Arrington believes that Democratic insiders have now largely adjusted to the fact that Easley is "the anti-Hunt."

Jim Hunt, the former four-term Democratic governor, was a consensus builder who used the party to push his agenda; Easley often relies on the raw constitutional power of his office to get his way.

"They just deal with him as if he is just another chamber of the Legislature. It's not very different in a lot of other states," Arrington said.

Democrats also recognize the incumbent governor gives them the best opportunity to lead their ticket to victory in 2004 and hang on to the positions they now control.

Contrast that with a year ago, when prominent Democrats like Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and State Treasurer Richard Moore were said to be entertaining the idea of challenging Easley in the primary.

At times during his three years in office, Easley has kept a low profile. He has avoided appearances with President Bush, stayed away from some Democratic Party functions and only occasionally appeared away from Raleigh to promote his education or roads programs.

But given the state of the economy, that may not hurt him politically either - his face and name don't immediately spring to mind because he hasn't been prominent in news on the subject.

Easley has stepped up his public appearances during times of disaster, first when last December's ice storm left hundreds of thousands without power and more recently following Hurricane Isabel.

Thad Beyle, a political science professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, said Easley has helped himself tremendously in that role as leader in a time of crisis.

With no prominent Democrats likely to mount a challenge and Republican Congressman Richard Burr running for U.S. Senate, Beyle sees Easley as having a distinct advantage over the competition next year.

Among his potential Republican challengers, only former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot has statewide name recognition - but he lost to Easley in 2000.

GOP activists are lining up behind former state party chair Bill Cobey of Chapel Hill and state Sen. Patrick Ballantine of Wilmington, two candidates who are largely unknown to voters statewide.

"I just don't see who else could suddenly appear and everybody say, 'We have been waiting for you,"' Beyle said.

The election scenario also creates another problem for Republicans, Arrington said: While they fight and fuss in a primary, Easley will have the luxury of sitting back and "acting gubernatorial."