North Carolina
North Carolina: What to expect on election night
North Carolina’s statewide elections are usually carefully divided affairs, however Democrats have did not win a U.S Senate race since 2008. Occasion officers had been inspired that the streak might be damaged this yr when former state Supreme Courtroom Chief Justice Cheri Beasley obtained within the race final yr.
The first subject was cleared for Beasley, who could be North Carolina’s first Black senator if elected, and she or he’s been the highest fundraiser all through the marketing campaign. However Republican three-term Rep. Ted Budd has benefited from the Senate endorsement of former President Donald Trump and tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in exterior spending for advertisements attacking Beasley.
The Senate Management Fund had spent near $30 million in opposition to Beasley by the marketing campaign’s last weeks. Beasley and her allies have criticized Budd on his anti-abortion views and for his votes in opposition to payments associated to controlling well being care prices. Budd’s camp has attacked Beasley for supporting President Joe Biden’s insurance policies and for her written opinions whereas on the state Supreme Courtroom that they are saying had been weak on crime.
Republicans at the moment maintain eight of the 13 U.S. Home seats, with North Carolina gaining a 14th seat primarily based on census figures. Redistricting litigation finally put Democrats in a powerful place to win six U.S. Home seats, with an opportunity to achieve parity with the GOP in a brand new open Raleigh-area district thought of a toss-up. This race pits Democratic state Sen. Wiley Nickel in opposition to Republican Bo Hines, additionally endorsed by Trump.
The GOP has managed the Normal Meeting since 2011 however hasn’t held veto-proof majorities since 2018, which has allowed Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to dam what he considers excessive Republican insurance policies on weapons, abortion and immigration. However Republicans want solely two extra Senate seats and three Home seats to beat his vetoes. Cooper and different Democrats contend Republicans will severely prohibit or prohibit abortion in mild of the U.S. Supreme Courtroom determination in June overturning Roe v. Wade. GOP legislative leaders say there’s no consensus on abortion modifications and have targeted their campaigns on the financial system and state tax cuts they authorized.
The end result of the 2 state Supreme Courtroom races may have quite a bit to say about whether or not abortion restrictions or challenged Republican insurance policies can be upheld. Democrats at the moment maintain a 4-3 seat benefit. Republicans have to win one of many two to take again a majority they final held in 2016.
Right here’s a take a look at what to anticipate on election night time:
ELECTION NIGHT
Polls shut at 7:30 p.m. native time (ET).
HOW NORTH CAROLINA VOTES
The overwhelming majority of North Carolina voters (practically 84% within the 2020 presidential election) forged absentee ballots. And most of these are in-person votes. Mail-in absentee ballots accounted for 18% of the whole vote for president in 2020.
Essentially the most populous counties — Wake (dwelling to the state capital, Raleigh), Mecklenburg (Charlotte) and Guilford (Greensboro) — vote closely Democratic. North Carolina’s rural counties skew overwhelmingly Republican. To win statewide workplace, Republicans have to restrict their losses within the cities and do properly within the suburbs.
DECISION NOTES
AP will tabulate and declare winners in 139 contested elections in North Carolina, together with one U.S. Senate seat, 14 U.S. Home races and 6 statewide judicial races. Within the 2020 basic election, AP first reported outcomes at 7:42 p.m. ET and 90% of the outcomes at 11:35 ET on election night time, Nov. 3, 2020.
AP doesn’t make projections or identify obvious or doubtless winners. Solely when AP is totally assured a race has been received – outlined most easily because the second a trailing candidate not has a path to victory – will we make a name. Ought to a candidate declare victory – or supply a concession – earlier than AP calls a race, we’ll cowl newsworthy developments in our reporting. In doing so, we’ll clarify that AP has not but declared a winner and clarify the explanation why we imagine the race is just too early or too near name.
The AP could name a statewide or U.S. Home race during which the margin between the highest two candidates is 0.5% or much less, if we decide the lead is just too massive for a recount to alter the end result.
The AP is not going to name down-ballot races on election night time if the margin between the highest two candidates is lower than 2% or if the main candidate is inside 2% of the 50% runoff threshold. AP will revisit these races later within the week to verify there aren’t sufficient excellent votes left to depend that might change the end result.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?
Q: WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THE PRIMARY?
A: President Donald Trump’s endorsement nonetheless means an amazing deal within the Tar Heel state. Budd was little identified exterior Washington or his central North Carolina congressional district when he entered the Senate race in spring 2021. On the time. former Gov. Pat McCrory was thought of the GOP major front-runner. However Trump’s announcement in June 2021 endorsing Budd and not directly disparaging McCrory was the game-changer over time. Budd finally beat McCrory within the Could major by 34 proportion factors. Trump’s help has remained a key aspect of Budd’s technique.
Q: WHAT’S CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC ELECTION OF 2020?
A: After the 2020 Census confirmed a rise in its inhabitants, North Carolina gained yet another seat within the U.S. Home of Representatives, giving it 14.
Q: WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE?
A: As of Oct. 15, 7.4 million North Carolinians had been registered to vote. Practically 34% had been registered Democrats and 30% Republicans. Two weeks earlier than the election, the advance vote was working at 19% of 2018 advance vote.
Q: HOW LONG DOES COUNTING USUALLY TAKE?
A: North Carolina counts ballots in a short time, partly as a result of so many votes have are available in earlier than Election Day. In 2020, 99% of votes had been counted on Election Day.
Q: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TUESDAY?
A: North Carolina permits candidates to request a recount in shut races. The brink is a 0.5% margin or 10,000 votes (whichever is much less) for statewide races and 1% of complete votes for non-statewide races. The state covers the price of recounts.
READ UP ON THE RACES
This is extra on the campaigns in North Carolina:
— NC Senate nominees parry over abortion, inflation in debate
— Abortion ruling intensifies combat over state supreme courts
— Deliberate Parenthood pours $5M into very important North Carolina races
QUOTABLE
“The underside line is Congressman Budd desires to be in between a lady and her physician, and there’s no place within the examination room for Congressman Budd.” — Beasley, at her solely televised debate with Budd on Oct. 7. Beasley criticized Budd’s help for laws that might prohibit abortion nationwide.
“Joe Biden is on the poll on Nov. 8, and he goes by the identify this yr of Cheri Beasley, as a result of she could be an absolute rubber stamp for every thing that’s led to this nation being on the unsuitable observe.” — Budd, on the TV debate.
“In North Carolina, ladies nonetheless have reproductive freedom. And as governor, I purpose to maintain it that means. However I can’t do it alone.” — Cooper, at a Sept. 27 information convention with abortion-rights activists in urging the election of Democratic legislators who would assist maintain his veto of abortion restrictions superior by Republican majorities on the Normal Meeting.
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Try https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to be taught extra in regards to the points and components at play within the 2022 midterm elections.
Observe AP’s protection of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections
The state of North Carolina is uber-important to the Tennessee Volunteers on the recruiting trail and should only get more important in the coming years.
The Tennessee Volunteers are currently on a hot streak on the recruiting trail. They added commitments from Toombs County safety Lagonza Hayward and Derby High School tight end Da’Saahn Brame over the weekend, putting them at the No. 8 overall class in the 2025 cycle. They still have several important announcements in the near future, several from the state of North Carolina.
The Vols have been adamant about successfully recruiting the state of North Carolina for years, and as more blue-chip talent continues to come from the Tarheel state, the more Tennessee will spend its time within that footprint. They’re firmly in the race for Providence Day School offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., who ranks as the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 class. He announces his decision on August 17th, and the North Carolina native is quite high on the Vols.
Additionally, Grimsley High School quarterback Faizon Brandon decides between Alabama, LSU, North Carolina State, and Tennessee this weekend. The No. 9 prospect in the 2026 class also hails from North Carolina and is Tennessee’s top target at the quarterback position.
There are plenty of examples of future standouts coming from the state and past ones who’ve made an impact at the University of Tennessee – the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015 was North Carolina native Jaylen Wright, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with the media ahead of fall camp and discussed why they continue investing so much in the state.
“It is a border state,” Heupel explained to media on Tuesday. “For us, we believe and look at it and view it as part of our footprint. We are intentional in how we recruit that state.”
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Enthusiasm is growing among Asian Americans in North Carolina.
With Kamala Harris stepping into the race and the potential for the country’s first president of Asian American heritage, it’s ignited excitement in the community.
“I’ve already participated in a half dozen Zoom calls about ways members of the Asian American community can help and turn out the vote,” said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County.
Harris marked many “firsts” when she became vice president after the 2020 election: she was the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American in that position. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian.
Now she has the opportunity to become the first Asian American presidential candidate if she secures the Democratic Party’s nomination.
“What people are excited about is recognizing the historical significance of it, that her lived experiences as an Asian American and Black woman really bring a different, inclusive level of representation to the highest level of government,” North Carolina Asian Americans Together communications director Jimmy Patel-Nguyen said.
The organization is focused on channeling that energy into voter outreach efforts, as well as raising awareness and education about key down ballot races.
The Asian American and Pacific Islander population in North Carolina has steadily increased in recent years.
It’s grown 63.3 percent since 2012 for a population size of about 456,655 in 2024, according to AAPIVote — a nonpartisan group dedicated to strengthening civic engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
There are roughly 235,900 eligible Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in North Carolina, marking a 55.4 percent growth in voter eligibility from 2012 to 2022.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up 2.97 percent of the electorate in the swing state. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump narrowly won North Carolina by less than 75,000 votes.
“It’s really important for us to acknowledge that major campaigns cannot ignore us anymore,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We are too consequential to elections — every election, local, state, and federal, where we’re changing the political landscape in North Carolina.”
The population is concentrated around urban areas. Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Durham, and Orange counties have the highest proportions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Nearly 60 percent of Asian American adults in North Carolina speak a language other than English at home, according to AAPIVote.
Along with low voter contact, language barriers have accounted for low voter turnout for Asian Americans.
“We do see the gaps when it comes to language access and communication,” Rep. Maria Cervania, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County, said. “We know that we need to continue that and more so now.”
That’s why groups like NCAAT work to make voting as accessible as possible. In the past, NCAAT has translated mailers into different languages and made an effort to reach out to voters in their native tongue.
Another issue is avoiding treating the Asian American community as a monolith. With so many different backgrounds and cultures, there’s a wide variety of views across the political spectrum.
“A majority of AAPI voters in North Carolina are registered unaffiliated,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We’re really independent thinkers who are voting on issues and not all party lines.”
Top issues vary for individual voters, but there are general themes.
Younger voters prioritize lowering the cost of living, protecting abortion access and reproductive rights, and making healthcare more affordable, according to a poll by NCAAT. Older voters are more concerned about crime and public safety, as well as the economy and job creation.
The Harris campaign has invested more money into more media than ever in order to reach Asian American voters, according to the campaign.
“In just the first week since Vice President Harris became the presumptive nominee of our party, we’ve seen a groundswell of support from AANHPI voters across North Carolina who are fired up to elect Kamala Harris as the first Asian American president in U.S. history,” according to Natalie Murdock, the campaign’s North Carolina political and coalitions director.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday withdrew his name from contention to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. In a social media statement, Cooper thanked Harris for her campaign’s consideration and reaffirmed his confidence in her victory. “This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket,” he said. “She has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we’ll all work to make sure she wins.” A source told The New York Times, which reported Cooper’s veepstakes exit before his announcement, that his team had reached out to Harris’ campaign a week ago to say he did not want to be considered. Sources told Politico and NBC News that Cooper had dropped out for a few reasons, including a possible U.S. Senate run in 2026 and fears that North Carolina’s conservative lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, might try to seize power if he left the state to campaign. Harris is aiming to announce her pick for No. 2 by Aug. 7, when the Democratic Party kicks off its virtual nomination process. The party convention is slated to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Read it at The New York Times
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