No Surprise North Carolina is Tar-Heel Blue
By Daniel Strauss - Nov 6th, 2008 at 2:10 pmIt’s not all that surprising that North Carolina went blue this election. A few days ago, before the election, I asked my friend, a native Tar Heel, about the likelihood of Obama, Kay Hagan (U.S. Senate), and Beverly Perdue (governor) winning. He responded in a text message, “NC: black people, young affluent white people, affluent black people, obama heaven, its possible.”
By his description, North Carolina could very well be a neighbor to Illinois or another Democratic stronghold. According to the census bureau, North Carolina has virtually just as many citizens under the age of eighteen as Massachusetts , and far more blacks. The QuickFacts don’t list citizens between the age of 20-30 but I bet the numbers are considerable in both places. The state also has nationally notable research universities like the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke, and Wake Forest.
What’s perhaps most distinctive of North Carolina compared to other southern states–especially since the economic crisis started–is that it’s experienced a cautious tech boom. Ryan Avent, another North Carolinian who writes about politics and urban policy at his blog The Bellows , mentions this :
I was born and raised in Wake County, North Carolina. Home of the state capital, it’s gone from sleepy government town to tech metropolis in a stunningly short period of time. Raleigh is growing faster than fast-growing Charlotte, and both cities are among the richest and most economically successful in the country, to say nothing of the south.
Anyway, in 2004 Wake went for Bush by about 2 points. Yesterday, it went for Obama by 15 points .
None of this sounds like a historically Republican state that the Democrats fought tooth and nail to win, and yet it was just that this election cycle. There’s a lot of talk about what kind of transformation Obama’s presidential run has brought or will bring. I would say one is not merely establishing a Democratic outpost in North Carolina, but rather finally adding it to the pool of states that are naturally Democratic.
Additional point worth noting. According to reason’s Dave Weigel North Carolina was also one of 2 states in which Bob Barr’s vote total was larger than the margin between McCain and Obama.
It can’t be guaranteed every Barr vote would have gone to McCain, but it’s still a factor in how NC played out..
November 6th, 2008 at 2:52 pmForgot the source link.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:52 pmHmmmm, that’s interesting. I’ll have to read Weigel on this. I wonder what it says though? Perhaps not only an enthusiasm for Obama but a disillusionment with the Republican party as it was in the election.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:21 pm