President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other administration officials have been making trips to North Carolina in recent weeks as they tout their accomplishments and ramp up their reelection campaign.
A Democratic presidential candidate has only won North Carolina twice in nearly 50 years: Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008.
Even in other statewide federal elections, Republicans have had the upper hand. In 2022, national Democrats prioritized spending on other Senate races around the country over the matchup between Republican Ted Budd and Democrat Cheri Beasley.
That said, Biden lost to former President Donald Trump by fewer than 75,000 votes in North Carolina in 2020. Plus, Democrats are bullish that issues like abortion rights will push more people to the polls in November.
On the next Charlotte Talks, we discuss whether North Carolina has a chance of going blue in November, why the Democratic Party has struggled in federal statewide elections, and what role Mecklenburg residents might play in the party's success.
GUESTS:
Mary Ramsey, local government accountability reporter for the Charlotte Observer
Susan Roberts, political science professor at Davidson College
