From Chris Kromm at Facing South:
Here are six key factors that gave him the victory:
1 – Obama mobilized the base: Perhaps more than any other candidate could have, Obama mobilized his core base in North Carolina in record numbers. At the forefront were African-American voters, who added over 300,000 registrations in 2008 and went to Obama by 95%. Obama also won over young voters by large numbers: 74% of those under 30 went Obama. [UPDATE: According to Curtis Gans’ new report, North Carolina showed the highest increase in voter turnout over 2004, largely due to gains in African-American and new voter turnout.]