After Taylor extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-out single in the first inning, Caden Grice belted a two-run homer, his 13th of the year.
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
The Tigers tacked on four more two-out runs in the second inning on Cam Cannarella’s single, Cooper Ingle’s double, Taylor’s single and Amick’s single.
Johnny Castagnozzi put North Carolina on the scoreboard with a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Advertisement
The Tar Heels scored another run in the top of the fifth inning before Amick led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his 11th homer of the year.
Our off topics forum
In the sixth inning, Clemson added five runs, highlighted by Amick’s run-scoring single and Wright’s three-run homer.
Wright hit a two-run homer, his second of the game and seventh of the season, in the eighth inning.
Nick Clayton (7-0) earned the win in relief, as he pitched 2.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Clemson used five pitchers on the evening. Ethan Darden (4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER) got the start, while Casey Tallent (0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER), Nick Hoffmann (0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) and Rocco Reid (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R) joined Clayton in relief work.
Advertisement
Tar Heel starter Max Carlson (4-2) suffered the loss, as he yielded six runs on 10 hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
The series continues Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.com – ACC Network Extra.
SHOP NOW:Clemson apparel ON SALE at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
LSU baseball will be playing for a spot in the super regionals on Monday.
After losing to North Carolina on Saturday in the winners’ bracket, the Tigers went 2-0 on Sunday, first beating Wofford after overcoming a 5-0 deficit in the first. In Game 2, the regional final opener against North Carolina, it was coach Jay Johnson’s team that got off to a hot start.
LSU led 3-0 after three innings and took full control with a four-spot in the fourth inning. It ultimately won 8-4, forcing a decisive regional Game 7 on Monday. If the Tigers win, they’ll host a super regional in Alex Box Stadium.
As we await Monday evening’s Game 3, here are the best photos from Sunday night’s win.
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
322Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels huddle in the outfield…
322Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels huddle in the outfield before playing the Louisiana State Tigers during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels and Louisiana State Tigers…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels and Louisiana State Tigers stand for the playing of the national anthem prior to their Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Vance Honeycutt (7) leaves the…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Vance Honeycutt (7) leaves the batters box after a hit against the Louisiana State Tigers during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Thatcher Hurd (26) pitches against the…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Thatcher Hurd (26) pitches against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Aidan Haugh (47) pitches against…
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Aidan Haugh (47) pitches against the Louisiana State Tigers during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Colby Wilkerson (3) points to…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Colby Wilkerson (3) points to first base after making an out against the Louisiana State Tigers during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Vance Honeycutt (7 )watches a…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Vance Honeycutt (7 )watches a home run go over the fence against the Louisiana State Tigers during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Josh Pearson (right) is welcomed at…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Josh Pearson (right) is welcomed at home plate after hitting a home run against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Colby Wilkerson (top) makes a…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Colby Wilkerson (top) makes a throw over teammate Alex Madera against the during Louisiana State Tigers the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Michael Braswell III (10) reacts to…
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Michael Braswell III (10) reacts to getting a base hit against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Parks Harber (14) reacts to…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Parks Harber (14) reacts to getting a base hit against the Louisiana State Tigers in the sixth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Hayden Travinski (8) reacts to hitting…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Hayden Travinski (8) reacts to hitting a double in front of North Carolina Tar Heels Alex Madera (1) in the fifth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Parks Harber (14) slides safely…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Parks Harber (14) slides safely into home during the sixth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium against the Louisiana State Tigers. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Head Coach Scott Forbes, center,…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Head Coach Scott Forbes, center, talks with his team on the mound in the fifth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium against the Louisiana State Tigers. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Connor Bovair (27) pitches against…
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Connor Bovair (27) pitches against the Louisiana State Tigers in the fifth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Tommy White (47) reacts to getting…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Tommy White (47) reacts to getting a base hit in the fifth inning against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Tommy White (47) reacts to getting…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Tommy White (47) reacts to getting a base hit in the fifth inning against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Brady Neal (16) talks with…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Brady Neal (16) talks with catcher Thatcher Hurd (26) in the seventh inning against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Outfielder Anthony Donofrio (4) rounds…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Outfielder Anthony Donofrio (4) rounds second base in the seventh inning against the Louisiana State Tigers during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels outfielder Vance Honeycutt (7) makes…
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels outfielder Vance Honeycutt (7) makes a running catch against the Louisiana State Tigers in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Justin Loer (6) pitches against…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Justin Loer (6) pitches against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the seventh inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels infielder Parks Harber (14) tosses…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels infielder Parks Harber (14) tosses his bat after being walked by the Louisiana State Tigers in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Thatcher Hurd (26) pitches against…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Thatcher Hurd (26) pitches against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Connor Bovair (27) pitches…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Connor Bovair (27) pitches against the Louisiana State Tigers in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Cameron Padgett (15) points…
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Cameron Padgett (15) points to a teammate after making an out against the during the Louisiana State Tigers in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Kade Anderson (32) pitches against the…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers Kade Anderson (32) pitches against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Cameron Padgett (15) pitches…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Cameron Padgett (15) pitches against the Louisiana State Tigers in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Fidel Ulloa (40) and catcher…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Fidel Ulloa (40) and catcher Brady Neal (16) talk on the mound in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Gavin Guidry (1) pitches against…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Gavin Guidry (1) pitches against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the ninth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers outfielder Paxton Kling (28) reacts to…
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers outfielder Paxton Kling (28) reacts to getting a base hit against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Gavin Guidry (1) pitches against…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Gavin Guidry (1) pitches against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the eighth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Share this
Advertisement
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels designated hitter Alberto Osuna (23)…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels designated hitter Alberto Osuna (23) reacts to earning a walk against the Louisiana State Tigers in the ninth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
Share this
Advertisement
NCAA Baseball: Chapel Hlll Regional
Advertisement
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Gavin Guidry (1) reacts to…
Jun 2, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Louisiana State Tigers pitcher Gavin Guidry (1) reacts to the final out against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the ninth inning of the Div. I NCAA baseball regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2 seed LSU remains alive in the Chapel Hill Regional after taking down Wofford 13-6 in Sunday afternoon’s elimination game.
With their backs against the wall after trailing 5-0 in the first inning, Jay Johnson and his program rallied back while piecing together a 20+ hit game.
Now, all attention shifts to LSU taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels once again in the Chapel Hill Regional Championship.
If North Carolina wins Sunday’s game, the Tar Heels are the Regional Champions. If LSU wins Sunday’s nightcap, it would face North Carolina again on Monday in a winner-take-all Regional Championship game at a time to be announced.
Advertisement
Here’s a look into both programs starting lineups, what Jay Johnson said ahead of the showdown and live updates from Sunday in Chapel Hill:
LSU’s Starting Lineup
North Carolina’s Starting Lineup
3B Tommy White
CF Vance Honeycutt
Advertisement
2B Steven Milam
LF Casey Cook
1B Jared Jones
1B Parks Harber
LF Josh Pearson
Advertisement
RF Anthony Donofrio
SS Michael Braswell
DH Alberto Osuna
C Brady Neal
C Luke Stevenson
Advertisement
DH Hayden Travinski
3B Gavin Gallaher
CF Jake Brown
2B Alex Madera
RF Ashton Larson
Advertisement
SS Colby Wilkerson
RHP Thatcher Hurd
RHP Aidan Haugh
What Jay Johnson Said:
“This is a little more than what we did in Hoover, but it’s the format,” Johnson said on Saturday night. “We knew that going in. That’s why we threw Gage yesterday and Luke [Saturday], so that we didn’t have to do that. It’s my first time in four years I haven’t been sitting on 2-0, but the best wins I’ve had in my career, including Omaha last year, came in elimination games. I have full confidence in our team we will execute. Our goal isn’t just to get out of here now. Our goal is to have the best day we’ve had as a team tomorrow.”
Advertisement
LIVE UPDATES:
[Make sure to refresh your browser for the latest information. Scroll down for the most recent updates each inning].
Top First:
Thatcher Hurd (LSU) pitching
Honeycutt: Fly out to center field
Cook: Fly out to center field
Advertisement
Harber: Strikeout
Score Update: LSU 0, North Carolina 0
Bottom First:
Aidan Haugh (UNC) pitching
White: Groundout to shortstop
Advertisement
Milam: Strikeout
Jones: Walked
Pearson: Two-run homer to right field (LSU 2, North Carolina 0)
Braswell: Fouled out to catcher
Score Update: LSU 2, North Carolina 0
Advertisement
Top Second:
Thatcher Hurd (LSU) pitching
Donofrio: Fly out to left field
Osuna: Strikeout
Stevenson: Strikeout
Advertisement
Score Update: LSU 2, North Carolina 0
Bottom Second:
Aidan Haugh (UNC) pitching
Neal: Single to right field
Travinski: Strikeout
Advertisement
Brown: Groundout to pitcher, Neal advances to second base
Larson: Fly out to left field
Score Update: LSU 2, North Carolina 0
Top Third:
Thatcher Hurd (LSU) pitching
Advertisement
Gallaher: Strikeout
Madera: Groundout to second base
Wilkerson: Fly out to left field
Score Update: LSU 2, North Carolina 0
Bottom Third:
Advertisement
Aidan Haugh (UNC) pitching
White: Groundout to third base
Milam: Single up the middle
Jones: Walked, Milam advances to second base
Pearson: Fly out to right field
Advertisement
Braswell: RBI single to right field, Milam scores. Jones advances to third base (LSU 3, North Carolina 0)
Neal: Fouled out to third base
Score Update: LSU 3, North Carolina 0
Top Fourth:
Thatcher Hurd (LSU) pitching
Advertisement
Honeycutt: Strikeout
Cook: Groundout to first base
Harber: Double down the right field line
Donofrio: RBI single to right field scores Harber (LSU 3, North Carolina 1)
Osuna: Single to left field, Donofrio advances to second base
Advertisement
Stevenson: Strikeout
Score Update: LSU 3, North Carolina 1
Bottom Fourth:
Aidan Haugh (UNC) pitching
Travinski: Single to center field, advances to second base on error
The campaign website of Hal Weatherman, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, lists his top five priorities as: “Donald Trump, building the wall, deporting illegals, Second Amendment and pro-life laws.”
But on the Republican Party’s statewide ticket, Weatherman is a relative moderate.
Driven by MAGA fever, the North Carolina Republican Party is offering voters in a purplish state the most extreme lineup of statewide candidates in modern North Carolina history.
On a ticket that will be headed by Trump, now a convicted felon, the Republican candidates include: For governor, current Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a candidate known for his inflammatory statements on race and LGBT people and a background that includes multiple bankruptcies and failure to pay taxes; for attorney general, Rep. Dan Bishop, a Freedom Caucus warrior who as a state lawmaker sponsored the notorious “bathroom bill” that targeted transgender people and triggered national boycotts of North Carolina; and for superintendent of public instruction, Michele Morrow, an activist who thinks public schools indoctrinate children and has called online for the execution of prominent Democrats.
Advertisement
Rob Christensen, a former longtime News & Observer political columnist who has written a book on the history of North Carolina politics, “The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics,” said the Republican Party has shifted far to the right under Trump and is now nominating “fringe candidates.”
“What’s going on here is what’s going on nationally. If you look around the country, there are really right-wing people that have been put forward by the Republican Party,” he said. “I don’t know that you would call them conservative. It’s anti-establishment, it’s populist, it has a strong racial edge to it, it’s anti-gay, its really anti-modern.”
Such nominees invite defeat, he said, but the party is so in the thrall of Trump that it can’t do otherwise. “It’s almost like a spell has been cast on the Republican Party,” he said.
A state that sent Jesse Helms to the U.S. Senate for 30 years has a strong conservative streak, but Christensen said North Carolina voters have preferred more moderate candidates for governor.
“We’ve had a fair number of conservatives elected in this state — Helms being the most prominent example – but when it comes to governor, North Carolinians have tended to want a centrist, somebody who was going to build the roads, fund the schools and try to get businesses to come to the state,” he said. “We have no history of electing really right-wingers to be governor.”
Advertisement
Simon Rosenberg, a national Democratic strategist known for accurately predicting that there would be no red wave in the 2022 midterm elections, said Republicans choosing extreme candidates have led to Democratic victories.
“We saw in 2022 that the extremist candidates that Republicans ran across battleground states all lost and Democrats dramatically outperformed expectations,” he said. “I think that Republicans are in danger of replicating that same losing strategy in both North Carolina and Arizona in particular, where you have candidates that are far out of the mainstream.”
Rosenberg said “fear and opposition to MAGA has been the driving force” behind Democratic victories in recent cycles and North Carolina’s Republican ticket will add to that force.
“The Republican Party of North Carolina is presenting itself as one of the most extremist parties in the country,” he said. “I don’t think many moderate voters in North Carolina are going to go for that in the election.”
Republican Party staffers did not respond to my calls to Republican state headquarters.
Advertisement
Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said offering voters an extreme ticket is self-defeating: “People are looking for common sense, not crazy.”
Whatever Republicans have done wrong in choosing their statewide ticket, they’ve done one thing right: They’ve given voters a clear choice.
Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett can be reached at 919-404-7583, or nbarnett@ newsobserver.com