Battleground North Carolina: Political Veterans Morgan Jackson and Paul Shumaker Break Down the 2024 Elections

Voices of NCAJ

“The swingiest of swing, and the purplest of purple.” That’s North Carolina as we gear up for the hotly contested 2024 election season.

In this episode of Voices of NCAJ, host Amber Nimocks welcomes seasoned political consultants Morgan Jackson and Paul Shumaker to the show to discuss North Carolina's political landscape ahead of the 2024 elections.

Tune in as they discuss how media consumption is evolving so campaigns must find a way to adapt their strategies. Increasing voter turnout is critical for both parties in this election, as is finding a way to attract unaffiliated voters. North Carolina’s gubernatorial race is also gearing up to be one of the most important in the nation. Learn just how pivotal North Carolina is as a battleground state in national politics this election cycle.

Morgan and Paul will speak at the NCAJ Convention in June. You can register for Convention 2024 here.

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Paul Shumaker

Connect: Capitol Communications, Inc. | Email | LinkedIn

Name: Morgan Jackson

Connect: Nexus Strategies | Email | LinkedIn

💡 Episode Highlights 💡

[02:13] Suburban Surge: Whether soccer moms or grill dads, the suburban population in North Carolina is booming with new residents, many of whom are college-educated and female.

[04:31] Exponential Urban Growth: Since the last presidential election, Wake and Mecklenburg counties have gained an average of 90 new voters a day, leaving smaller counties, like Henderson, in the dust.

[05:06] The Swingest of Swing States: Because North Carolina has both urban and rural areas to offset any deficiencies in one demographic for either party, we’re seeing both sides commit significant resources to ensure the state swings their way.

[06:50] Meeting Voters Where They Are: With the media becoming more segmented and greater options for voters to “cut cords” or avoid advertisements when getting the news, campaigns must meet voters where they are if they want to get their messages across.

[08:09] Finding the Undecideds: Like businesses, campaigns use consumer data to find likely voters and potential voters because the undecided voters are often the most important segment of the population.

[11:48] An Uber-Important Gubernatorial Race: Not only is the gubernatorial race going to be the most expensive in the country, it may also be the only race where Republicans have a chance to gain a seat in a presidential election year.

[16:12] Fear or Hope: In recent years, we’ve seen a trend that suggests elections are as much about fear about the other candidate winning as they are about having hope in your own candidate.

[17:26] Veto-Proof: If Democrats don’t remedy their voter turnout problem, especially with young voters and minorities, North Carolina may be gearing up to maintain the Republican supermajority for another term.

[18:26] Repellent for Suburban Swing Votes: Though voter turnout generally expands in urban and suburban areas in presidential years, Republicans face the challenge of having nominated a candidate that repels many suburban voters.

[21:15] Unaffiliated but Not Unimportant: The largest single voting block in North Carolina is unaffiliated voters, so to succeed, both Republicans and Democrats are going to have to chip away at this segment.

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