2. Regardless of which party dominated the state's political landscape for the last century, there's no way North Carolina could have been "liberal" to any extent before the early 1990s if it had already elected Jesse Helms to three terms in the U.S. Senate by that point. And if Helms had stuck around for the 2002 and 2008 elections, his races would have become increasingly tight.
3. North Carolina has become increasingly urbanized over the last ten years. Regardless of party affiliation, voters who live in urban and suburban areas tend to be much more liberal than their rural counterparts.
4. John Edwards. Case closed.
Elizabeth Dole wouldn't have been running prior to when she did as she was a resident of another state, and Jesse was still holding the seat. And she didn't run in the early 1990's. She ran in 2002.
2. Regardless of which party dominated the state's political landscape for the last century, there's no way North Carolina could have been "liberal" to any extent before the early 1990s if it had already elected Jesse Helms to three terms in the U.S. Senate by that point. And if Helms had stuck around for the 2002 and 2008 elections, his races would have become increasingly tight.
Sure they would have been increasingly tight. And there is no doubt that his age would have been a major factor in this. I will be surprised if Jesse is still around in 2008. And don't give me that "Strom" argument when it comes to age. And Jesse was a target of the entire left, nationwide and thus anyone running against him had full support, both financial and with bodies from every left wing group on the planet in an attempt to defeat him. Jesse ran against and would have run against far more than his opponent and his opponents personal abilities.
3. North Carolina has become increasingly urbanized over the last ten years. Regardless of party affiliation, voters who live in urban and suburban areas tend to be much more liberal than their rural counterparts.
NC is all over the board on that one. Many rural areas, and vast stretchs of rural area vote democrat in NC. And urban centers vote republican as well. And NC has become more suburban than urban. We don't have large population centers like most major cities. Its all spread out in the suburbs. And suburbs tend to vote republican.
4. John Edwards. Case closed.
John Edwards, as you may recall, beat Lauch Faircloth, who ran one of the most inept campaigns I have ever seen. Also, except for once or twice if memory serves me right, no one has been reelected to that seat in 140 years.
The election of John Edwards is by no means evidence of "evil liberal yankee influence" on the elections in this state.
Explain Gov for Life Hunt, Democratic control since the beginning of time of all levels of goverment in this state, and people like David Price, Mel Watt, Bob Ethridge, Mike Easley, Jim Graham, Ralph Campbell, etc...
None of these people were elected because of us evil yankees moving in.