Blue tidal wave or 100-year flood election in North Carolina?

Last week’s elections were a shock to almost every voter and political observer. Even Democratic campaign operatives seemed overwhelmed by the magnitude of the Democratic wave nationally and in North Carolina.

I’ll leave it to professional political science types and analysts to do their regression analyses to ascertain what was the main reason for the nationwide scope of the “Bluebath” victory, as NSJ writer A.P. Dillon has coined it.

It could be the issue of “affordability” combined with the war in Iran and the higher price of gasoline that unraveled the Republicans last week. Certainly, there was a fair amount of anti-Trump sentiment, which is always the case in any midterm election for a sitting president. Donald Trump is the first to experience 41-seat losses in Congress in two nonconsecutive terms.

Was this truly a massive repudiation of commonsense conservative policies led by Republicans that can be equated with, say, a tidal wave or perhaps a 100-year flood as western North Carolinians sadly experienced after Hurricane Helene in 2024?

Republicans have been in control of the North Carolina General Assembly for only 16 years since they took over in the last political earthquake in 2010, to use another natural catastrophe analogy. Under the leadership of then-House Speaker Thom Tillis, Rep. Ruth Samuelson of Charlotte and Art Pope, Republicans outorganized, outrecruited and outfundraised the Democrats to take control of the legislature and the congressional delegation despite being in gerrymandered districts drawn by Democrats while they were in control of the General Assembly. It had been over a century since Republicans last held majority control of the NCGA.

Most importantly, they acted as Republicans have always acted and campaigned as being sound supporters of conservative principles based on Christian belief: limited government, individual responsibility, fiscal discipline, strong families, safe communities, economic opportunity and protecting individual freedoms.

What will it take for conservatives and Republicans to regroup in time for a political recovery in 2028 and 2030? Democrats are already bracing for what they feel will be the natural pendulum swing after a big election, especially since they know if they fail to deliver on more “affordability” immediately, they are going to be held accountable by all the voters who felt they promised at least that.

Instead, voters might be in for a tough case of buyer’s remorse once they turn on the news to see endless impeachment hearings starting on Day One, beginning with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, of all people. It is going to be a very tough message to sell that impeaching Trump’s entire cabinet will bring down the cost of gasoline when the real culprit is the lack of refineries due to overzealous government restrictions by liberal legislators and the dream of green energy adopted by most Democratic lawmakers.

North Carolina has almost always been considered a center-right state politically since inception. There has typically been a majority of voters between the 20-yard lines made up of Republicans, moderate Democrats and, now, a majority of registered voters identified only as unaffiliated.

While the results of last week’s election may look different on maps of blue and red, those voters who are not solid MAGA supporters or socialists at heart have not moved out of the state or passed away. Many cast a protest vote against Trump without fully realizing the consequences of their vote, but they will soon find out, as will the rest of us.

There are some things Republicans can and should do to reattract the majority of voters going ahead. The one thing they cannot do is try to be something other than what they have always been. Voters will reject them if they try to become “Socialist-Lite.”

Sen. Jim Burgin of Angier has thrown his hat into the ring to become the next majority leader of the N.C. Senate, and he could prove to be that leader voters say they are looking for. He wants to restore regular order to the legislative schedule and process in Raleigh while restoring a sense of calm, deliberate civil discourse where all sides can be heard on every issue.

New York and California voters can do what they choose in their states. But there’s no need to punt away the progress made by Republicans since 2010. Now is the time for leaders of all sides to work together for the benefit of North Carolina as a whole and keep the state the envy of the nation.