From Democratic backwater to swing-state big league.
NORTH CAROLINA was solidly in the GOP camp in 2004, when a record 3,501,007 voters gave Bush II a 56-44 victory. But four years later, turnout in North Carolina jumped by 10.8 points to 66.5%, the strongest improvement in the US, and Obama eked out a win of 0.3 points and 14,177 votes. This was the first Democratic win since 1976, when a (smaller) boost in turnout helped Carter, another fresh face, easily carry the state for the party. Republicans hope that the Obama win is just as fleeting.
See all of the charts so far by clicking the category "vote margins by state" below (or going to Pinterest) and an explanation of the project here.
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