Republicans fall short in key state races

North Carolina Democrats owe Barack Obama. There's little doubt that Obama's well-oiled political machine brought out Democratic voters who helped put state candidates over the top. At this hour, North Carolina's electoral votes are undecided as Obama clings to a 12,000 vote lead out of 4.2 million votes cast. Fifty-thousand provisional ballots remain to be counted.

Regardless of whether Obama puts North Carolina into the Democratic tally for the first time since 1976, his campaign has had a profound influence on state elections. Democrat Bev Perdue won a fairly narrow victory in the governor's race after Republican Pat McCrory ran out of steam late in the race. Democrat Kay Hagan trounced Sen. Elizabeth Dole. Democrat Larry Kissell finally knocked off Congressman Robin Hayes. Down the ticket, Obama might have had an even greater influence in lower-profile races such as state auditor (Beth Wood knocked off incumbent Les Merritt) and commissioner of insurance (Democrat Wayne Goodwin won the vacant seat).

Besides Obama's influence, Republicans this year just couldn't shake off the albatross of George W. Bush. The unpopular president had poisoned the well for all Republicans. The GOP also failed to effectively make corruption, secretiveness, unresponsiveness and fiscal excesses under the Democrats' administration a campaign issue. Despite the imprisonment of at least four powerful Democrats on corruption-related charges, North Carolina voters chose another Democratic insider to be governor and increased the Democrats' majority in the legislature. There seems to be no political consequences to bribery and insider dealings. Having ousted the Republican state auditor, Democrats have even fewer impediments to their wheeling and dealing with state money.

Despite Bev Perdue's promises in her victory speech, don't expect any real reforms in the wasteful and politically motivated state Transportation Board, in the secretive way budgets are written or in the state job preferences given to insiders such as the governor's wife. Barack Obama's campaign theme was "change," but don't expect much change, if any, in the way state government goes about its business.