NORTH CAROLINA — For the first time, registered Republicans in North Carolina outnumber registered Democrats, with about 2,000 more GOP voters as of last Saturday.
Addul Ali, the former chair of the NC-12 GOP, expressed optimism regarding this milestone, attributing it to a shift in perception toward the Republican Party.
This change reflects a historical trend in North Carolina’s political landscape, as the state moves away from its long-standing tradition as a Democratic stronghold.
[ ALSO READ: Partisan redistricting battle comes to North Carolina as Republicans seek 1 more seat ]
As noted by Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, the significance of this moment cannot be overstated.
He stated, “It wasn’t that long ago really, where we talked about the solid South and that meant the solid Democratic South. And I think what this sort of milestone moment means is, look, that day is gone, dead and buried, right? It is no longer a Democratic South.”
Cooper also pointed out that unaffiliated voters are now a significant voting bloc in North Carolina, with many voters preferring to register as unaffiliated rather than with the traditional two-party system.
He noted, “You get to choose your own adventure. You can choose a different adventure every cycle based on what’s the most competitive or the most interesting, or the one where you think your vote means the most.”
The chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party released a statement regarding the change, saying:
“I wish the NCGOP all the luck in the world convincing North Carolinians to go to the polls next November to support the Republican agenda that has spiked costs for working families and ripped away health care from hundreds of thousands of people. We saw how well that worked out last year in our municipal elections.”
In just Donald Trump’s first year back in office, working people have been screwed over countless times. This November, across North Carolina, voters will have the opportunity to support Democratic candidates that will strengthen and support the middle class, expand access to health care, and not gut vital programs to fund yet another tax cut for billionaires.”
This flexibility appears to be appealing to a growing number of voters.
VIDEO: Partisan redistricting battle comes to North Carolina as Republicans seek 1 more seat
This browser does not support the video element.