In every election year, lines are drawn and battleground states emerge. In 2008, a year of many firsts, North Carolina emerged as a battleground state for the first time in three decades. Since 1976, Republicans have won a virtually uncontested North Carolina. Although Clinton came close in 1992, North Carolina has remained red since the Carter Administration. “North Carolina has been a reliable Republican state where conservative, low-tax, smaller government principles resonate with voters,” said Buzz Jacobs, McCain’s campaign manager for the Southeast.

Every year, North Carolina has more registered Democrats than Republicans and features Democratic candidates in most state offices. How can North Carolina vote blue statewide and red nationally?

“Historically, it hasn’t been Democrats versus Republicans, but rather progressive versus regressive,” said Assistant Professor of history Alvis Dunn.

“Democratic presidential candidates, with their Northern accents, were easily painted as not like us,” said Dunn. “They didn’t have the same values, and the Republicans played this off beautifully.”

The Democratic Party, well aware of their political frailty in Southern states, has taken the steps necessary to appeal to and win North Carolina in 2008.”Democrats failed to put together a message that appeals to North Carolina (in the past),” said Matt Clausen, president of College Democrats, “It really hasn’t hit hard in North Carolina until this year.”

Democrats feel that their candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, represents a more progressive vision and better connects with the southern population than Democratic candidates previously. In his attempt to turn North Carolina from red to blue, Sen. Obama has presented many plans to increase manufacturing jobs and decrease both unemployment and the number of uninsured North Carolinians.

“I’m going to keep on talking about the issues that matter. I’m going to talk about healthcare and education. I’m going to talk about energy. I’m going to keep on standing up for hard-working families who aren’t getting a fair shake in this economy,” said Sen. Obama in a recent rally in Asheville, N.C. The message differs slightly than Democratic arguments of the past. Obama has established himself as a voice of change and reason, and appeals to the progressive side of North Carolina.

“The population and demographics of North Carolina have changed drastically in the last 10-15 years,” said Dunn. In 2004, 3.5 million North Carolinians voted. Also, between 1996 and 2006, North Carolina has seen the emergence of 1.5 million new legal residents. This increase in new voters has left Democrats confident in their ability to conquer the once unobtainable North Carolina.

In addition to new residents, an increasing number of out-of-state Democrats are registering to vote in North Carolina. “Out-of-state kids are voting here, registering here. These kids are from Democratic states, voting Democratic here,” said Clausen. “These are the people leading the charge for Obama in North Carolina.”

The times have changed. Or have they?

Although there is an obvious shift of demographics to big banks, big cities, and higher education, North Carolina is still a battleground for the progressive.

The dynamics of politics are difficult to predict and erratic in nature. But one thing is for certain, North Carolina is no longer automatically red. Even in the event of a Republican win in 2008, North Carolina will continue to straddle the fence in upcoming elections and hold strong as a battleground state for years to come.