RALEIGH — Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory’s first primary opponent hasn’t been in elected office before and believes local government property taxes should be replaced with some other revenue source.

Fayetteville resident Jim Harney filed Wednesday to run as a GOP candidate for governor. His entry means McCrory will have to run some kind of campaign for the May 8 primary.

Harney said in a phone interview he runs a promotional advertising business and was discouraged from running as an independent because he would have needed so many signatures to get on the ballot.

McCrory has been considered the presumptive GOP nominee and spent the past several months trying to clear the field of high-profile candidates through speeches to party groups and fundraising.