‘She’s better than Bill!’
That was the enthusiastic assessment of one wise old Democrat after Hillary Clinton’s fundraiser in Raleigh last week. Another attendee, who never has stars in her eyes and has been skeptical, was won over by Clinton’s message and presence.
Which raises two questions: First, will she run better in North Carolina than Bill? Second, will she run hard in North Carolina at all?
Some Democrats here assume she will, since President Obama won the state in 2008 and barely lost in 2012. They look forward to what a presidential-year turnout might mean to candidates for Governor, Senator and the legislature.
But Clinton may or may not have the same pull on minority voters that Obama had. And Bill Clinton didn’t carry the state in either 1992 or 1996. He came close in ’92, but only because Ross Perot (the Donald Trump of his time) took votes away from George H.W. Bush.
In the end, Clinton’s decision about North Carolina will have little to do with history, sentiment or what NC Democrats want. Her campaign’s mantra, like all campaigns today, is “data-driven.” They’ll crunch the numbers in every potential target state, endlessly crunch the Electoral Vote math and then make a cold, hard decision about where to spend their time and money.
During her appearance here, Clinton reportedly told the young girls in the crowd to come to the front. She told them, “I hope you’ll have a chance to vote for a lot of female Presidents before you’re my age.” The question is whether their parents’ votes for President next year will matter, as they did in 2008 and 2012, or whether North Carolina will be back on the sidelines.
‘She’s better than Bill!’
That was the enthusiastic assessment of one wise old Democrat after Hillary Clinton’s fundraiser in Raleigh last week. Another attendee, who never has stars in her eyes and has been skeptical, was won over by Clinton’s message and presence.
Which raises two questions: First, will she run better in North Carolina than Bill? Second, will she run hard in North Carolina at all?
Some Democrats here assume she will, since President Obama won the state in 2008 and barely lost in 2012. They look forward to what a presidential-year turnout might mean to candidates for Governor, Senator and the legislature.
But Clinton may or may not have the same pull on minority voters that Obama had. And Bill Clinton didn’t carry the state in either 1992 or 1996. He came close in ’92, but only because Ross Perot (the Donald Trump of his time) took votes away from George H.W. Bush.
In the end, Clinton’s decision about North Carolina will have little to do with history, sentiment or what NC Democrats want. Her campaign’s mantra, like all campaigns today, is “data-driven.” They’ll crunch the numbers in every potential target state, endlessly crunch the Electoral Vote math and then make a cold, hard decision about where to spend their time and money.
During her appearance here, Clinton reportedly told the young girls in the crowd to come to the front. She told them, “I hope you’ll have a chance to vote for a lot of female Presidents before you’re my age.” The question is whether their parents’ votes for President next year will matter, as they did in 2008 and 2012, or whether North Carolina will be back on the sidelines.