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Obama's margin in NC: 12,000 votes

The Associated Press

Published: November 5, 2008

RALEIGH _ Barack Obama didn't need North Carolina to win the White House. It's a good thing, too, since it could be a while before anyone is awarded the state's 15 electoral votes.

The president-elect and Republican John McCain remained in a race too close to call in the state early Wednesday. But the results will prove to be a mere footnote to history since Obama won the presidency with key victories in several swing states.

The official outcome in North Carolina will depend the counting of provisional ballots, cast by voters whose eligibility to vote must be confirmed. That's a process that could take several days. It wasn't immediately known how many provisional ballots are outstanding.

With 100 percent of the nearly 3,000 precincts reporting, Obama led McCain by about 12,000 votes out of more than 4.2 million counted in unofficial results. Libertarian Bob Barr had less than 1 percent.

"This election was too important," said James Kessler, 40, of Salisbury, who voted Tuesday for the first time and cast his ballot for Obama.

"You look around and you see a lot of families having a hard time. People can't find jobs. It's been tough around here. I'm lucky, but I have friends who can't find work. I think Obama really cares about working people. He wants to help."

Obama, in his bid to become the first Democrat to win the Old North State since Jimmy Carter in 1976, jumped to an early lead Tuesday night on the strength of a high turnout among early voters. But McCain's grew closer as the night wore on, putting the two in a virtual tie late in the race.

The State Board of Elections reported a 68.4 percent voter turnout unofficially, which doesn't include provisional ballots that numbered nearly 50,000 in the election between President Bush and Democrat John Kerry four years ago. The turnout is close to the 69 percent reported in the 1984 race between President Reagan and Walter Mondale, the highest since 1972.

Obama's presidential bid included a remarkable venture into the South, turning the traditional Republican stronghold of North Carolina into a tossup in the weeks leading up to Election Day. Buoyed by a big win over Hillary Clinton in the state's May primary, Obama made a big push to swing the state. He hired hundreds of paid staff members who filled dozens of offices, and spent millions on TV ads — at one point outspending McCain 8-to-1 on commercials.

McCain watched from afar for months before finally returning to the state in the campaign's final weeks. He also sent running mate Sarah Palin, who drew thousands of supporters who lined up for hours to see the Alaska governor.

"I think she's got more experience than Barack Obama does," said Jeremy Hooks, a 31-year-old auctioneer from Knightdale.

Although Bush won North Carolina by 12 percentage points four years ago — a year when former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was on the ticket as the Democratic vice presidential nominee — the politics of the state are moderating.

Retirees from northern states are moving to communities along the Atlantic coast and in the western Blue Ridge mountains. Young professionals — many educated at one of the state's nationally ranked universities — are settling from Charlotte to Raleigh in cities along Interstate 85.

This year's boom in voter registration tilted toward Democrats and there were signs within the record-setting 2.6 million votes cast early that Obama entered Election Day with an advantage.

Registered Democrats made up 52 percent of those voting early, while black voters — who polls show overwhelmingly support Obama — made up 26 percent of the early vote, compared with 17 percent in 2004.