Thursday, November 06, 2008

Obama Claims NC

The AP has just reported that Barack Obama has claimed North Carolina's 15 electoral votes (see the full story here). Though the result is not yet official, the AP has determined that there are not enough remaining uncounted ballots to allow John McCain to overcome his almost 14,000 vote deficit. Now, how important is this?

If this were the only southern state that Obama had claimed, most likely the focus would be on the relatively small margin of victory, and rightly so. It is not difficult to see that margin flipping to the other side in four years. But the fact that Obama also claimed Virginia and Florida adds some more meat to the tale. Many of the headlines throughout the election season has focused on the possible barrier of racism that Obama was supposed to face in the South. Did he really overcome any racism, or was turnout among minorities enough to overcome the prejudices of white voters?

I for one am hoping that North Carolina stays in play in many elections to come, and that's probably the most important outcome. NC may very well switch back to the Reds in the coming years, but presidential campaigns will be stomping in the state for many cycles to come.

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