North Carolina Called For Obama

RALEIGH, N.C. — President-elect Obama won North Carolina on Thursday, a triumph that underscored his political strength as he turned nine states that President Bush won in 2004 to Democratic blue.

The Associated Press declared Obama the winner after canvassing counties in North Carolina to determine the number of outstanding provisional ballots. That survey found that there are not enough remaining ballots for Republican John McCain to close a 13,693-vote deficit.

North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 _ nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House _ to McCain's 162. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call, with McCain leading by several thousand votes.

Obama's win in North Carolina was the first for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.

Of Bush's 2004 states, Obama captured Virginia, Florida and North Carolina in the South, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa in the Midwest and Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico in the West. All total, Obama has won 28 states and the District of Columbia, McCain 21.

Obama ran an aggressive general election campaign in North Carolina after his wide primary victory in the state over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested he could win a trove of electoral votes that most assumed would belong to McCain.

The Obama campaign's focus on the state's two-week early voting period was critical. Obama won more than 1.1 million early votes, giving him a 180,000-vote advantage heading into Election Day _ a gap too great for McCain to overcome.

McCain spent months watching North Carolina from afar during the summer as Obama visited regularly, but the GOP nominee returned to the state in the campaign's final few weeks as polls suggested an Obama victory was possible.

Obama spent millions of televisions ads that were buttressed by hundreds of staff members in dozens of offices to take advantage of North Carolina's rapidly changing demographics and a large bloc of black voters galvanized by his bid to become the first African-American president.

North Carolina's growing population includes a booming urban corridor from Charlotte to Raleigh along Interstate 85, while retirees from northern states _ who are more willing to vote for Democrats _ are filling the state's coast and mountains.

Exit polls also showed that some 30 percent of voters considered race a factor in their decision, with the numbers split evenly among voters who backed McCain and Obama. Nearly one in five voters considered race an important factor.

The economy also played a role _ with 60 percent of voters considering it the top issue, with those voters breaking slightly to Obama. The state's manufacturing industry has been devastated by competitive imports, and the state's banking economy centered in Charlotte was struck by economic turmoil that led to the downfall of Wachovia Corp., in the weeks before Election Day.

Obama's win completed the party's sweep at the top of the North Carolina ticket. Beverly Perdue was elected the state's first female governor, while Kay Hagan unseated one of the GOP's most respected figures in Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

Comments

[brownjuice]

Now that I live in a BLUE state, my life is complete.



...having a drink here in Greensboro

[ErnestineBass]

Heh heh...this time last year I predicted North Carolina could go Dem. Thanks to an influx of "northerners" in the last decade, the demographics of the state have changed tremendously.

[sanywhere]

and the influx of floridians who have moved up. my parents and relatives moved up two years ago. they build houses and most of their clients are floridians or new yorkers.

[as if]

hey, brownjuice: CONGRATS!!

I grew up in Greensboro during the sixties, and there was a lot of flagrant, unabashed racism there at that time that i, even as a young white girl, was aware of.

Just look how far we've come!! I am really proud of North Carolina today. I could hardly sleep the night of the election for wanting to know that it would go for Obama. Hurray for North Carolina!!

[rukiddingmerightnow]

Cheers

[bbridges1962]

Hello brownjuice, I am also having a icy cold, barley malt beverage over here in Kernersville.
Cheers and congratulations to us all !

[bongogirl]

I love it!!!!!!!!!! Here's to you North Carolina!!!!!!!!!

[oldguru]

PROUD, PROUD PROUD of North Carolina! I hope old Jesse is spinning in his grave.

[mln7905]

I canvassed for Obama in Charlotte, made phone calls, and of course voted early! I am so proud of NC.

[ThatOne4Me]

Thanks for your hard work mln7905. Thanks everyone, including those who forwarded emails and news stories!

[rukiddingmerightnow]

Thank you and great work! This is awesome

[GwenElle]

Congratulations on and thank you for your efforts!

[zenaby56]

I am so proud of our country. I am excited that the red-blue divide has been shattered. I love that there was such a great turn out and we engaged in this democratic experience. For too many years there has been apathy and I have to admit, I was beginning to feel a little apathetic myself. Beginning to believe that my vote would not count or would be stolen. I am so grateful that the support for President elect Obama was large and not able to be stolen.

Imagine, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Indiana, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada... did I miss any? I live in BLUE Colorado!!!

[magneato]

I moved to NC from another formerly red state (Colorado) and was used to the many repubs out there, but I'm constantly shocked and dismayed by the amount of racism I see here.
Check out NC craigslist rants and raves if you don't have a weak stomach.
Some REALLY nasty stuff being said right now. Some of these folks are truly sick.

[OB08]

Focus on the positive and enjoy history in the making.

[McMullen]

Yeah, well, they are clearly in the minority. They can spout off all of the racist garbage that they like, and it won't change the fact that they are facing the same fate as the dinosaurs (never mind that they don't belive in dinosaurs.) For once, we outnumber them - that's change you can believe in!

[magneato]

Yeah, I hear you beantower and Mcmullen.
I (foolishly) wrote my own rant basically telling the racists that they should come out of the basement, stop whacking off to Ann Coulter, and try to hope for the best for the country that their beloved ivy league cowboy almost ruined, and you should have seen my inbox!
The first time you get a death threat, it aint too pleasant.

[beantowner]

Craigslist R&R tends to bring out the nutjobs everywhere, so don't give the hate or racism that you find there too much credit. Many people utilize R&R just to stir the pot and rile people up, and it works all too well.

[ncmom54]

I am a white grandmother who remembers the injustices and agony of the 60's in NC... It became clear to me when Obama was announced President elect that now is the time to 'stare stupid in the face' and declare a path toward healing our wounded soul. We have a ways to go but a powerful change is happening here & our sky is blue!

[ThatOne4Me]

Thank you grandmother! You're great!

[mamacat]

Wow! This is big!

[yhgtup]

Awesome!! I know you N. C voters are as proud as we are here in FL!! Having volunteered to do voter registration & Get Out The Vote (GOTV) at gas stations, bus terminals, house-to-house, football games, anywhere I saw a group of people, I was especially gratified to see our young black males excited, standing in lines to vote, most for the first time. As a black female with a grown son & male grandchildren, I've always told them they can achieve anything they strive for in this country, if they applied themselves. Sad part is, I never really believed it myself. Now, I do.

[nippyfan]

Just like the man said...we are not blue states or red states....We are the UNITED STATES...sniff sniff.

[musicisourhigh]

It is great to see another state going for Obama. Thank you North Carolina.

[dnels14]

hello -democrats.. i want to give a shout-out to all voters of north carolina.. its great that president elect OBAMA won the tarheel state ..my wife and i got 3 people to vote that has never voted in their lifetime..--they proudly wore - i voted badge of honor..we could'nt stop talking about North Carolina going blue...its been agoning waiting -checking 24/7 over networks for the final results.when president elect obama went up 14 thousand votes and realizing 40 thousand provisional ballots yet to be counted----i knew they were in president elect OBAMAS colum..its a blessing to be born on november 4th..congradulations to president elect OBAMA for embracing history and become the 44th president of the United States of America

GOD bless the United States of America

[marleysghost]

Yippee!! Drinks all round :-)

[krabby]

Does this mean that Lindsey Graham has to race Michael Phelps? Remember Graham said that there was no way that North Carolina would go blue, and if it did, he'd swim against Phelps! Time to pay up Lindsey!

[SteveDenver]

Lindsey could start now and Michael could catch up after his plane arrives.

I think the assumption that states will vote the way they always have is a danger that Obama's team recognized. They didn't take any state for granted.

I'm in Colorado (duh) which went from Red to Blue. Until the 1960s, Denver was the national headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan and a lot of that vibe still rules in the hills and rural areas. The Dems were smart to bring the DNC here, it made Coloradoans feel like a core part of the Obama effort.

[ErnestineBass]

Oh, lawdy...Miss Lindsey wearing a Speedo and yellow plastic water wings...PRICELESS!!!!

[krabby]

Ewww! Did you have to go there? LOL

[zakwouldhave]

Hip hip hooray x 3 for Howard Dean! 50 state strategy is good for the country. Congrats to my homestate of VA and too NC where I partied as a lad. Florida too doesn't seem as nuts as before Tuesday!
The south will rise again..... blue and true.

[PHM]

All of us in NC, old and young, white, black, brown and yellow, men and women, gay and straight, small business owners and big business executives, doctors, lawyers, janitors and cooks, people of all faiths, we worked for almost 20 months to turn NC from Jesse Helms Red to Obama Blue...and we did it!

We canvassed, we registered new voters (over 1,500 in our small town alone), we canvassed again and again, we phone banked, we drove people to the polls in early voting and on election day...we worked for our futures and for yours...we worked with Obama staff...young people from all across the country...we worked with volunteers who came from Florida and Tennessee and Arizona and Ohio and many of us went to other states...all through the Primaries and the General Election we worked. And we enjoyed every minute and we loved every minute and we're all SO HAPPY that now we have a leader in Washington who knows us and understands us and listens to us...Oh, Happy Day!

NC the New BLUE!
OBMAM 2012