North Carolina hasn't voted for a Democrat for president since 1976.

Even then, the vote for Jimmy Carter was an anomaly caused in part by Watergate. The state pretty much switched to voting for Republican presidents in 1968 with the triumph of Richard Nixon's "Southern strategy."

Before then, the state was fairly consistently Democratic in its national choice. From 1876 to 1968, only one Republican — Herbert Hoover in 1928 — won North Carolina.

The record is of interest because the General Assembly may change how the state's Electoral College votes are distributed.

The shift to awarding electors by Congressional District wouldn't be under discussion at all if North Carolina didn't have a split political personality — putting Democrats in the legislature and the Governor's Mansion while voting for Republicans for president.

After the jump, a quick list of the state's presidential choices.

   Comments (1)