Politics
Election 2012: Obama campaign using voter registration to win North Carolina
“It seems like no matter what race you are, people are starting to get more Democratic,” said Woody, who is black, after he finished filling out a registration form.
This year, Romney’s campaign was determined not to get caught off guard in North Carolina like GOP nominee John McCain was four years ago. Republicans have built a more substantial ground operation here, but still trail Obama in manpower. The president has 53 field offices across North Carolina to Romney’s 24.
About 1.6 million people in North Carolina, or one-fourth of the electorate, are registered to vote but not affiliated with a party.
Paul Shumaker, a Republican consultant who has handled statewide races, said those voters may present just as many problems for Romney as the Democrats.
“Having to go through a Republican primary that pulled him to the right hurts him in building a winning coalition in the state,” Shumaker said.
Theresa Jeffers is one of the unaffiliated voters siding with Romney, though she says it’s more a vote against Obama than in favor of the Republican.
“I was hoping so much that he would be successful,” Jeffers, 64, said of the president. She said she’s been disappointed by his performance in office, particularly on the debt.
