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The Party Line is dedicated to examining regional issues and policies through the figures who give shape to them. These are critical, complex, and even downright confusing times we live in. There’s a lot to navigate nationally and in the Carolinas; whether it’s elections, debates on gay marriage, public school closings, or tax incentives for economic development. The Party Line’s goal is to offer a provocative, intelligent look at the issues and players behind the action; a view that ultimately offers the necessary insight for Carolina voters to hold public servants more accountable.

Donald Trump With Coattails? Didn't See That Coming

Donald Trump
WRAL.com

  Republicans had a big night in Mecklenburg County, and across the state in Tuesday's election.  They may have Donald Trump to thank. 

Republicans held onto veto-proof majorities in the state House and Senate. That included victories for several Mecklenburg County Republican incumbents who faced challenges from Democrats. They included Rep. Bill Brawley of Matthews, Sen. Jeff Tarte of Cornelius, and Rep. John Bradford of Cornelius. 

Republican Richard Burr kept his Senate seat, despite tough battle with Dem Deborah Ross. And GOP candidates beat out Democrats for several seats on the Council of State. 

Larry Shaheen is a Republican campaign organizer. He says the party may have benefited from Donald Trump's victory in North Carolina. 

“Well I think for the first time, a lot of folks are starting to realize that instead of Trump being a drag on the ticket, he actually has coattails. We've seen vast performances, over-performances, out of the council of state candidates,” Shaheen said late Tuesday.

Those included Dan Forest's victory in the lieutenant governor race, as well as Republican wins for treasurer, insurance commissioner and superintendent of public instruction. 

Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in North Carolina by almost four percentage points, 49.9 percent to 46.1 percent.  He also took South Carolina, Georgia and the rest of the Southeast. 

He wasn't supposed to have coattails. Many political prognosticators thought Trump would actually drag others down. But it didn't work out that way, did it?  

Meanwhile, there were no coattails for the state’s top Republican, Gov. Pat McCrory. He hasn’t conceded yet, but Democrat Roy Cooper has claimed victory, thanks to a razor-thin lead of 5,001 votes, or 0.1 percent. McCrory says the results likely won't be official for at least a week.  

David Boraks previously covered climate change and the environment for WFAE. See more at www.wfae.org/climate-news. He also has covered housing and homelessness, energy and the environment, transportation and business.