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President Barack Obama almost ran the table Tuesday night when it came to battleground states. The lone exception: North Carolina.

Of a dozen competitive states, it was the only one that went from Democratic blue in 2008 to Republican red this year. Why didn’t Obama carry the Tar Heel State? Read five reasons here and see a map of results here.

More political headlines:

--Pat McCrory on Thursday will set foot in the Capitol for the first time as governor-elect. A block north, he will see a major challenge facing his administration: the N.C. General Assembly. 

--The 7th Congressional campaign and the lieutenant governor's race are headed to overtime. A recount looms.

In the wake of Democrat Walter Dalton's double-digit loss in the governor's race comes this question: Could he have done anything different to win?

Dome put the question to a few Democratic consultants and political observers. They offer interesting takes on why Dalton never caught fire but mention one recurring theme: he didn't distance himself from the current administration strongly enough. Read below.

Republican Pat McCrory's comeback after his loss in the 2008 govenor's race is striking.

He won 40 counties in 2008 and 77 counties in 2012, according to preliminary results.

Take a look at the 2012 state map (top). And the 2008 map (right) from McCrory's race against Gov. Bev Perdue.

Even though the latest poll shows Democrat Walter Dalton pulling closer to frontrunner Pat McCrory, one questions hangs over his flagging campaign: Could Gov. Bev Perdue have done better?

Dome posed the question to six political consultants and pundits. Read their thoughts below and questions about whether Democrats ever had a chance. 

Months after deciding not to seek another term, Perdue refunded $243,000 in campaign contributions. About $100,000 soon found its way to Dalton’s campaign, disclosure reports show.

About 15 of the 50 donors received the contribution and wrote a check to Dalton within a couple weeks. Now the timing is the subject of a campaign finance complaint filed by the N.C. Republican Party that alleges the transfers amount to an excess contribution from the Perdue campaign to Dalton.

UPDATED: A major question entering the gubernatorial campaign: How would outgoing Gov. Bev Perdue handle the election of her successor?

At first glance, it seems that she ignored the governor's race. She didn't appear on the campaign trail for Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and kept $1.3 million in her campaign account instead of donating it to the state Democratic Party to help her would-be successor. On Monday, the day before the election, Perdue's lone public event is a digital learning conference in Asheboro.

Charlotte Observer cartoonist Kevin Siers' take on this week's campaign finance reports.

As noted in today's story, Gov. Bev Perdue is still sitting on $1.26 million as her would-be Democratic successor struggled to raise money. More details from her report:

Perdue started the year with $2 million. Since July, she directed $250,000 to the state Democratic Party and refunded $243,000 to individual donors. A campaign aide said she also gave $4,000 to Dalton, but the donation is not reflected in the records.

UPDATED: Pat McCrory and Walter Dalton, the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor, will attend the memorial service honoring N.C. Air National Guard members Tuesday.

The 9 a.m. event will take place in Charlotte, McCrory's hometown where he served as mayor for 14 years. Gov. Bev Perdue is expected to speak.

Based in Charlotte, the C-130 tanker from an Air National Guard wing was carrying a crew of six while fighting a blaze in South Dakota's Black Hills when it crashed, killing four crew members and injuring two more.

Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton supports Gov. Bev Perdue's vetoes of the state budget adjustments and a rewrite of the Racial Justice Act -- but not on the issue of natural gas drilling through fracking.

In an interview Monday, Dalton said lawmakers made concessions on the legislation establishing a framework for natural gas drilling in North Carolina. "It is a proactive step," he said. "It's not perfect; it's not what I would necessary want. But I would prefer seeing that put in place as we leave here than not having some time of regulatory process going forward."