A Democratic legislator said something that struck me: “Feeling helpless is Democrats’ biggest problem in North Carolina.”

Many Democrats are depressed and discouraged, or angry and frustrated, by 2022 – losing the US Senate and Supreme Court races and seeing Republicans get a near-supermajority in the legislature.

Those feelings fueled the state party upheaval last weekend.

Now Democrats fear that a lot of bad laws will pass: on public schools, universities, courts, abortion, gun laws, gerrymandering, voting rights, civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights – anything the Right considers “woke” culture.

But Republicans will overreach. There will be a reaction. A lot of North Carolinians don’t like that extremist stuff.

This is still a closely divided state.

Cheri Beasley came within 3.2 percentage points of winning a Senate seat.

She lost because Mitch McConnell spent tens of millions of dollars attacking her. He knew North Carolina wasn’t a sure thing.

A smart DC consultant says we’ll be one of the top six swing states in 2024.

“Forget Florida,” he said. Spend the money here.

it’s time to buckle down, not give up.