[The Pack Knight]

You may be right, though 2008 will be the test of it. I live in Raleigh, and the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area is the most liberal part of the state, and has been growing steadily more liberal, so from here it certainly looks like you're right. I'm not sure the same can be said for the rest of the state, however, as many of Raleigh's suburbs are even more solidly Republican than they have been in the past.

2008 will be a test, not only because of the Presidential election, but because of tough races for US Senate and Governor. Elizabeth Dole is one of the DNC's top targets in the senate, and they may be running the very liberal Rep. Brad Miller against her. The governor's race is open, since Mike Easley is term limited out. The likely GOP candidates, Bill Graham and Fred Smith, seem more conservative than those in recent elections, and their likely opponent, Richard Moore, definitely seems more liberal than Easley.

Like the rest of the country, the political landscape in North Carolina has certainly become more polarized, but it's too early to say yet whether this state is more liberal. The state is still more rural than urban, and Down East hasn't become liberal the last time I checked. I do think that, in the general election, a nominee like Fred Thompson can probably count on North Carolina's votes, but might have more of a fight against Edwards or Obama than against Hillary here.

[The Pack Knight]

The state is still more rural than urban, and Down East hasn't become liberal the last time I checked.

Oops.. I just checked my facts and found I was wrong there. North Carolina does have a majority urban population now. The rural vote is still very significant, however.