This week’s elections in Virginia and Kentucky should be encouraging for North Carolina Democrats.

Kentucky threw out a Republican incumbent and elected a Democratic governor. Of course, that can be blamed on the incumbent’s scandals.

But also, Virginia elected a Democratic Senate for the first time in 12 years. A year after electing a Democratic U.S. Senator over a Republican incumbent. And two years after electing its second successive Democratic governor.

North Carolina, like Virginia, is growing and becoming more metropolitan. That attracts more moderate voters. They may be Republicans or Independents, but they fit the pro-business, pro-education and pro-environment profile of successful Southern politicians. They are turned off by the hard-right conservatism and religious fundamentalism of most Southern Republican politicians.

Both Virginia and North Carolina are on the way to becoming Democratic target states in Presidential elections. If Democrats seize the opportunity, we could put a lock on the Electoral College.