N.C. sees dramatic change in electorate

2008 is the new 1992.

Sixteen years ago, a certain politician from Hope, Ark., thought he could win this state. In the closing days of the election, citizens were implored to have the courage to change."" A caravan of buses stopped in Burlington and Durham. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was quoted in The New York Times as saying ""our objective interests are at stake"" in reference to an anticipated high turnout among black voters.

If you deleted the word Arkansas, then you might as well be talking about our current election. North Carolina was considered a battleground state in 1992. The parallels between both elections are similar to say the least.

An incumbent senator — a graduate of this University — was also facing a tough re-election campaign in 1992. Sen. Terry Sanford's opponent, Lauch Faircloth, painted the ex-Duke President as a dove who voted against President George H.W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq. Faircloth labeled Sen. Sanford as a classic tax-and-spend liberal who was out of touch with North Carolinian voters.

Sound familiar? Maybe that's because Kay Hagan has been using the same theme to argue that Sen. Elizabeth Dole is a Kansas resident who has overstayed her guest visa.

Economic concerns in 1992 were the dominating concern of voters. James Carville famously hung up a sign at Clinton's campaign headquarters with the phrase it's the economy"" stupid"" to keep everyone focused on pocketbook issues. It turned out that Clinton lost North Carolina by a mere 20"000 votes.

Fast forward a decade later and we are experiencing a ‘92 deja vu in a dramatically different North Carolina.

In the last 16 years this state has seen dramatic growth. According to Ferrel Guillory a former editorial page editor at The (Raleigh) News & Observer and current UNC journalism professor North Carolina has added 2 million residents since 1992. While not all are voting-age citizens a good chunk of them are.

You can thank this state's changing economy. From the growth of Charlotte as a banking hub to the growth of Cary North Carolina has turned from textile manufacturing and agriculture to education health care and finance. Just look at the explosive growth of the Interstate-85 corridor between Charlotte and the Triangle.

The move towards a service economy combined with Hispanic immigrants and an influx of Mid-Atlantic and New England residents is increasing the number of Independent- and Democratic-leaning voters.

The North Carolina of Jesse Helms is not the North Carolina of today. In the words of Professor Guillory" ""she ain't what she used to be."" Our neighbor to the north" Virginia is undergoing a similar transition. Perhaps come Tuesday we may see an unofficial coming out party for the New South.

It's amazing to think of the economic and political change this state has undergone in the last 16 years. If Obama wins the Tar Heel state then you can bet yourself that North Carolina will join Ohio Florida and Pennsylvania as a permanent battleground. This isn't the state that your grandparents grew up in.