North Carolina Takes Center Stage

There is no doubt that the Democrats have staked their flag in North Carolina for the 2012 election.  Choosing Charlotte to host the Democratic National Convention was a long thought out strategic move, and the powers that be are trying to use North Carolina to break the back of the once solidly red voting South.

Many North Carolinians are worried about their house being foreclosed on, and Governor Bev Perdue is no exception.  Her Gubernatorial mansion may have a new occupant next year, but there is still much to play out.  Pat McCrory is the clear front- runner at this point, with the latest RealClearPolitics poll having him up over 8 points, but he still has some obstacles to overcome before he can move in to his new home in Raleigh.  A lot can change in 14 months, but Pat is certainly positioning himself well going into political season.

There are 3 main obstacles the former mayor still has to deal with in the coming months.  First, who will step up and challenge Pat McCrory for the Republican nomination.  It seems as if all of the big names statewide have bowed out at this point, but a Tea Party candidate may very well come out of the woodwork.  With the current momentum of the Tea Party coupled with North Carolina’s voting demographic, this candidate may catch some traction.  The last thing the McCrory camp wants to do is allocate its precious resources in fending off a primary challenger.  However, this will more than likely be no more than a straw candidate, and at this point Pat is certain to cruise through the primary.

Secondly, the Democratic National Convention is being held in Charlotte where Mr. McCrory was mayor for 14 years.  Choosing Charlotte to host the Democratic National Convention was a long thought out strategic move, and the powers to be are trying to use North Carolina to break the back of the once solidly red voting South.   Bev received a significant boost in ’08 from Obama, but it is likely to be far less in ’12.  Also, her oratory skills are quite lacking, and she would do herself a favor by keeping her message sweet and simple.

The last obstacle Pat has to overcome is the stigma attached to being a Charlotte politician.  Since the 1980’s, 4 different Charlotte mayors have made unsuccessful bids for statewide election.  Pat likes to dodge this issue saying that it only becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy which the media needs to stop dwelling on.  However this doesn’t change the fact of the matter, and there are legitimate reasons for people raising this question.  Many North Carolinians on the Eastern and Western parts of the state view Charlotte as its own state within a state, and they are wary of politicians cropping up out of Charlotte.  Although Pat has a personal and political dynamic that makes him widely appealing, he still must find a way to convince people from both sides of the aisle that he is up to the job.

All in all, the North Carolina election may be a good barometer for things nationally.  The state went for Obama in ‘08, but this is no indicator as to what will occur in ’12.   The state is full of conservative businessmen, left-leaning academics, subsidy receiving farmers, and newly moved migrators from all parts of the country, so there are many types of voters concerned with an array of issues.  The Democrats have assessed these state wide demographics and decided that there is a play.  It will certainly be entertaining to watch this play unfold here in North Carolina, although let’s hope this time Barack keeps the cheesy blow-up background facades at home this go-round.