NC at the center of political storm

Published August 26, 2016

Editorial by Wilmington Star-News, August 26, 2016.

Isn’t it nice to be loved and not taken for granted? That’s what happens when you become a political “swing” state.

After not being much in play during the Reagan, Bush I and Bush II years, North Carolina finds itself in the presidential election spotlight.

Just ask Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who visited our area: “The road to the White House goes straight through North Carolina.”

He’s right. And we’re guessing we haven’t seen the last of Donald Trump and Pence, his running mate.

(Pence, by the way, went directly from Wilmington to Indiana, where an outbreak of tornadoes caused major damage, but, thankfully, few serious injuries).

North Carolina, meanwhile, has been in a bit of a political storm in recent years. After joining every Southern state except Virginia in 1976 to send Jimmy Carter to the White House, North Carolina went Republican in the next seven presidential elections.

That changed in 2008, as Barack Obama defeated John McCain by a mere 14,177 votes. The Tar Heel State swung back to the right in 2012, as Mitt Romney beat Obama by 92,000 votes.

Currently, most polls say North Carolina is a toss-up, giving Clinton a slight lead. We join Georgia and Florida as the two other toss-up states in the South.

While Florida is unique for many reasons, Georgia’s story is very much like North Carolina’s. Both states have seen large influxes of new residents, most moving to urban areas and nudging the political landscape leftward. Urban centers like Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh have the ability to move the needle in a big way. (Although South Carolina has seen similar population growth, it still leans more reliably Republican).

Other toss-up states, according to Real Clear Politics, are Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, and Maine. Several swing states -- New Mexico, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Virginia -- are leaning more Democratic.

We’ve always thought of modern North Carolina as a bit of bellwether for our nation -- growing urban centers with strong rural communities; politically moderate to an extent, especially when compared with other Southern states.

The state remains split along party lines: As of Aug. 20, there were 2,665,330 registered Democrats, 2,023,603 Republicans, 28,781 Libertarians and 1,951,075 unaffiliated.

North Carolina, just like the nation, is very divided. We see that in current contests for governor and U.S. Senate. When a new president is chosen in a few months, that divide is likely going to remain.

Our state has had a long tradition of political moderation and learning how to get both sides to move forward, even when opponents held power.

As the presidential candidates court our votes, maybe some of that willingness to get along and work together will rub off.

It will depend, of course, on whether that’s something we still value.

The answer to that may be very much like our presidential prospects -- a toss-up.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/opinion/20160826/editorial-aug-26-nc-at-center-of-political-storm