North Carolina Population Growth Changing Political Landscape

CHARLOTTE, NC — Times are changing in North Carolina. The state’s growth has shaken up the political landscape nationally says Winthrop University political professor Scott Huffmon.

“We used to look at the South as the “Peripheral South and the Deep South. Now, we tend to look at it as the “Growth South and the “Stagnant South”, said Huffmon of the population increase.

North Carolina is certainly now apart of the “Growth South”. Nearly 350 people move to the state each day. Many coming from New York and California, often times bringing a different political view than those born here.

“Most of them are younger, more diverse. They’re coming for job opportunities. So they have higher education, higher incomes, and that makes those areas more blue,” explained Huffmon.

That seems to be most evident in Charlotte. One of the fastest growing cities in the country. A traditionally democratic city that is steadily moving away from either party says Mecklenburg County Elections Director Michael Dickerson.

“I think people currently are coming in and saying I’d rather not be involved in party politics,” said Dickerson.

In Charlotte, 40% of voters are registered democrats. 21% are republicans and about 38% of those living in the Queen City do not claim either party.

“Statewide, there are more unaffiliated registered voters than there are Democrats or Republican registered voters.
So it sounds like to me they’re coming in and they’re thinking more independently of the party committees,” Dickerson explained.

In the last 50 years, North Carolina has only voted for a democratic president twice. Donald Trump won the Tar Heel State in 2016 and 2020. Both times those wins came with less than 50% of the vote. With such a large number of independent voters, it means more ad dollars will be thrown our way.

“It’s getting tougher to target because people like to hear an echo chamber of their own preferences coming back to them, so it is harder and harder to reach them and get them to flip for a new candidate,” Huffmon said of the target for independent voters.