Democrats pump resources into North Carolina as state gets more red

North Carolina Democrats sold out their annual party dinner, raising more money than ever at the event. More than 6,000 new people turned out for organizing meetings across the state this year, even though it is not an election year. And Democrats have organized in more than 240 additional voting districts, helping the state party get a foothold in new communities.

Sixteen months from the 2018 general election, Democrats are banking on turning that enthusiasm into votes that break Republican super-majorities in the state legislature and flip Congressional seats to help Democrats retake the U.S. House.

“The party that succeeds in these elections is the party that’s most fired up — and that’s the Democrats,” said Morgan Jackson, a Democratic strategist at Nexus Strategies in Raleigh. “They are fired up about what’s happening in D.C. and what’s happening in Raleigh.”

But turning that anger and enthusiasm into election victories is far from a sure thing even in a swing state like North Carolina. A recent study of voting trends in mid-term elections showed troubling participation numbers among core Democratic Party constituencies, and the party’s registration numbers continue to fall.

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