One could traverse the core of North Carolina and see little signs of election year on telegraph poles or lawn placards. However, on the TV, ads are constant, antagonistic and high-priced. Both Democratic and Republican parties are projected to jointly shell out roughly $360 million (£274 million) on political campaigns in North Carolina this year, ranking it as the 11th top spending state in the US, as per the ad analysis organisation, AdImpact. This mirrors both the governorship race being driven by strong personalities and the Democrats’ growing confidence that they might reclaim the presidency.
In February the previous year, 25-year-old political campaigner, Anderson Clayton, decided to seek the chairmanship of the North Carolina Democratic Party. She was contending against Bobbie Richardson, the incumbent who, aged 73, had made her own history as the first black state chair just two years before, and had the backing of Democractic governor, Roy Cooper. Despite the odds, Clayton emerged victoriously with 272 votes, beating Richardson’s 223, thereby becoming the youngest state party chair in the nation.
“Parts of the countryside are currently languishing and for ages, people have simply stood by and said, ‘you get what you deserve’,” she voiced in an NPR interview at her parents’ Roxboro residence last year. Clayton communicated frustration and a feeling of disregard from her party, indicating that those choosing rural life were seen as ‘deserving to perish’. “I was upset that my party was disregarding places like my childhood home.”
North Carolina’s residents feeling left behind have now suddenly become crucial for those aspiring for the US presidency.
With more than three million people living in rural areas, North Carolina has the highest such population of any state except Texas.
Situated an hour’s drive from the thriving Research Triangle near Raleigh, Roxboro, the county capital of Person County in the state’s northern region, traditionally an agrarian and textile district, is home to about 40,000 residents. Donald Trump was the preferred choice for 60 per cent of voters here in the previous election.
In her youthful years, Anderson combines a zest for action with a knack for connecting with potential voters from her generation, who often feel disengaged from political discourse. The Democrats in North Carolina are gearing up to compete in 118 out of the 120 state House seats and all 50 state Senate seats this year. This signifies an urgency to put an end to the anticipation that temporal factors and demographics will inevitably tip the scales in favour of Democrats, translating into North Carolina transitioning to a Democrat-leaning state. This expectation is grounded in the belief that an influx of professionals into rapidly growing urban hubs will cause Democrats to triumph ultimately.
However, this forecast remains shaky. Coastal towns in North Carolina are becoming increasingly appealing to retirees, which is leading to a more firmly Republican bias in electoral outcomes.
One of Clayton’s key characteristics is her conviction that she represents and communicates with neglected segments of North Carolina voters, particularly those hailing from counties similar to hers. These are individuals who have grappled with redefining themselves following the collapse of agriculture-based and manufacturing jobs. They feel marginalised for opting to inhabit their hometowns, as she expressed in an interview with NPR.
Interestingly, these are the very voters who feel as though the reshaped Republican Party under Trump is actively paying heed to their concerns.
Situated to the south of the Research Triangle, Wilson County reflects Person’s characteristics and serves as a more affordable option for professionals priced out of Raleigh and its surrounding university towns. While transitioning, Wilson retains a rural essence and hosts a populace with varied political views and ideology. Yet, they are united in their disillusionment with acrimonious political dialogues and are grappling with universal American problems: skyrocketing living expenses and housing costs, along with apprehensions related to education and taxation. And despite these challenges, their conviction remains unshakeable: there’s no place they’d rather call home than Wilson.
Stephen Greene, a Political Science professor at North Carolina State University, admitted in an early June conversation that he was puzzled by the certainty with which a Republican victory in North Carolina was being predicted. This conversation took place well before Joe Biden’s surprising withdrawal. As Greene highlighted then, the Democrats had already set up 11 operational bases throughout the state, many of which were in rural locations. Despite Trump’s previous victory in North Carolina, he was of the opinion that the forthcoming election would be determined by incredibly slim margins.
The decision was truly insightful. The emergence of Kamala Harris injected a level of enthusiasm and hope into the Democratic Party that had been lacking for several months, during a time when their campaign seemed to be stagnating. In North Carolina, the electoral groundwork and infrastructure that Clayton and her fellow party members had established was perfectly positioned to harness this sudden influx of energy.
Hence, the situation has made a complete cycle. Many counties in North Carolina, which felt neglected and overlooked by the system, have now caught the attention of both Republicans and Democrats who are now enthusiastic and eager to listen.