Did Scandal Cost North Carolina Democrats a Senate Seat?

Key Points• In North Carolina’s hotly contested Senate race last year, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) narrowly won reelection against a scandal-plagued opponent, former state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D-NC).• Had Cunningham’s candidacy not been weighed down by a personal affair, he may have still lost. Indeed, a Tillis win was consistent […] Read more »

Why Republican voter restrictions are a race against time

With their drive to erect new obstacles to voting, particularly across the Sun Belt, Republicans are stacking sandbags against a rising tide of demographic change. In many of the states where Republicans are advancing the most severe restrictions — including Georgia, Arizona and Texas — shifts in the electorate’s composition […] Read more »

How Mid-Decade Redistrictings Saved the Democratic House Majority

Key Points• Though new congressional lines are typically put into effect for election years ending in “-2”, four states adopted new maps at later points during this last decade.• In North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, Republican-friendly maps were thrown out mid-decade in favor of plans that were more amenable […] Read more »

North Carolinians divided on Trump’s responsibility for U.S. Capitol violence

The Elon University Poll has found that nearly 60 percent of North Carolina residents believe former President Donald J. Trump was very or somewhat responsible for the violence at the U.S. Capitol last month, but are less supportive of his impeachment related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. The survey found […] Read more »

Democrats Hope Georgia Will Become The Next Virginia, But It Could End Up Being The Next North Carolina

When Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia flipped to the Democratic side in the 2008 presidential election, it seemed like the start of a long-lasting shift. A Democratic Party increasingly synonymous with people of color, college graduates and urbanites appeared destined to win in states with growing, well-educated, racially diverse metropolises […] Read more »