A conspicous absence in the (Raleigh) N&O as to the uncertainty surrounding North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes and where they will go. The only information available is a short piece by Associated Press’ Aaron Beard. The article includes a statement by State Board of Elections Director Gary Bartlett saying that provisional ballots are currently in the process of being counted.
With Obama holding a razor thin lead over John McCain of about 12,000 votes, according to unofficial election results, it is perhaps within the realm of possibility that provisional ballots will make a difference. But is a possible recount in order?
Missouri with its eleven electoral votes is the only other state that most news sources have not called.
Although Obama has decisively won the election and transformed the electoral map since 2004 (beautifully illustrated on the home page of the NYT), North Carolina residents at yesterday’s Democratic celebrations indicated that they would still like to know the results in their home state. It would mark a significant shift in N.C. politics. If you somehow missed this fact, included in every article and broadcast regarding its new swing state status, no Democratic presidential candidate has been able to carry North Carolina since former president Jimmy Carter’s win over Gerald Ford.
The Chronicle’s own news editor, Shuchi Parikh, is in the process of investigating. Stay tuned to The Chronicle’s election blog and www.dukechronicle.com for updates.
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Filed 7:55 am
Even as the morning after an historic Election Day dawns with president-elect Barack Obama victorious over Sen. John McCain by a commanding margin, 338 to 158 electoral votes, the fate of North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes remains unclear.
The NYT as well as the major networks show the total tally as too close to call, with Obama leading with the slimmest of margins, 49.8% to McCain’s 49.6%. An absolute difference of less than 12,000 votes seperates the two candidates.
Indiana and Missouri have also been deemed to close to call, leaving 39 electoral votes up in the air.
Check back to the blog for more updates on the Election Blog as the aftermath of Election Day unfolds.
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- Sarah Palin - Maya Robinson/The Chronicle
Republican vice presidential nominee and conservative darling Sarah Palin spoke to a crowd of 5,000 enthused supporters at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh Saturday, the (Raleigh) News & Observer reported.
In what is most likely the last Republican political rally before Election Day, Palin entreated North Carolinian voters to keep the state red.
Although Palin has become the butt of many a late-night joke and single-handedly catapulted Tina Fey to super stardom, she remains a serious force to be reckoned with among the conservative base.
“She is more like the average person that’s in Middle America and the people that I associate with,” said Joan Reynolds, a volunteer at the GOP Victory office in Durham. ”She’s very well founded in her faith and very well-founded in her family. She’s tried to make a difference by working in the government but she’s hasn’t lost sight of where her real mission is and that is to be a mother and a wife and I just think she does a great job of balancing it all.”
Reynolds, a mother of three, flew down from Alabama two weeks ago to volunteer in North Carolina.
Despite the flak Palin’s selection as veep has received from many as evidence of John McCain’s erratic judgment, it is her populism and ability to connect with everyday people on a personal level that appears to be the key to her success.
We’ll just have to wait and see whether there are enough of such voters to put the self-professed hockey mom next in line for the presidency in t-minus 2 days.
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With one week left before election day, North Carolina has clearly solidified its status as a bona fide swing state. The two major presidential candidates are planning trips to the Tar Heel State. Republican Sen. John McCain will attend a rally in Fayetteville today and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama plans to speak in Raleigh Wednesday. To top things off, Libertarian candidate Bob Barr will speak in 139 Social Sciences Building at 5 p.m. today. Check back with The Chronicle’s Election 2008 Blog for updates all this week.
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