A reader wrote about North Carolina Democrats’ 2024 strategy: “I question the wisdom of trying to recruit Democratic candidates in all 170 legislative districts. Precincts and counties that voted overwhelmingly for Trump seem like lost causes to me.”

Indeed, some places are 70 percent Republican. Why run there?

Here’s why.

Josh Stein won the 2020 attorney general’s race by a sliver – about one-quarter of 1 percent, or 13,622 votes. That’s 114 votes in each of the 120 House districts.

Can a good, hard-working candidate increase Democratic turnout by a net 114 votes? Can Democrats average that over 120 districts with 50,000-60,000 voters each?

Yes, they can. And that can elect Democrats running statewide.

And reelect Joe Biden President.

In 2020, he lost North Carolina by less than 1.4 percent – 74,483 votes.

That’s an average of 621 votes in 120 districts.

State Democratic Chair Anderson Clayton has said, “we’re working the margins here.”

A state as close as North Carolina is won or lost on the margins.

I get the reader’s question. And I get the 170-district strategy. Yes, run everywhere.