The Tarheel state primary will be held on May 6, and for the first time in decades, the outcome in the nation’s 10th largest state may actually be meaningful.
Democrats have controlled the governor’s mansion for the past four terms and currently have majorities in both houses of the legislature.
Early numbers from Rasmussen show Barack Obama wth double digit lead over Hillary Clinton:
Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, is favored by 47 percent of likely Democratic primary voters, compared with 40 percent for Clinton, a U.S. senator from New York…
Obama leads by 14 points among men and 2 points among women, according to the poll. He has a 71 to 18 percent lead among African-American voters, while Clinton holds a 20-point lead among white voters.
While comparisons are not one-to-one by any means, North Carolina demographics are similar to those of Virginia, where Obama won handily. African-Americans make up 22 percent of the population, as opposed to 19 percent in Virginia. College-educated white collar workers dominate the \state’s two largest urban areas, Charlotte and Raleigh.
Both North Carolina senators are Republicans, and it has voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1976. However, seven of its 13 House members are Democrats, and Dems have controlled the governor’s mansion for the past four terms and currently have majorities in both houses of the legislature.
North Carolina will send 134 delegates to the Democratic Convention.
