Beyond the core: suburbs and small towns, with two-thirds of state voters, retain big political clout.

• Author: Hood, John
• Position: FREE+CLEAR

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Winston Churchill once observed that "the Balkans produce more history than they can consume."

During the 2016 election cycle, it became evident that North Carolina produces more politics than we can consume locally. Our races for president, U.S. Senate, governor and even state legislature made headlines and newscasts across the country --as did a wave of disasters that were natural (Hurricane Matthew), social (the riots following the police-related shooting in Charlotte) and political (the tussle between Charlotte and the General Assembly that resulted in House Bill 2).

Some of the resulting journalism and analysis shed great light on the fascinating history and uncertain future of our state. Some of it properly described North Carolina politics, in all its competitiveness and complexity, as a microcosm of national trends. Other coverage was superficial and shoddy, none more so than the frequent assertion that our electoral contests and political conflicts were all about divisions between urban and rural.

Truly urban places--those with population densities well north of 1,000 people per square mile--remain relatively rare in North Carolina, although there are certainly more than in the past. Some analysts use a looser definition of 750 people per square mile. By that measure, six North Carolina counties qualify as urban: Mecklenburg, Wake, Durham, New Hanover, Guilford and Forsyth. Of course, many people in those counties live in suburbs or traditional small towns, but if we go with this standard, then about 36% of the votes cast in the 2016 elections came from urban counties, roughly the same proportion as in the 2012 elections.

Democrats outpoll Republicans in these places. But unless the proportions become more gargantuan, Democrats can't win competitive statewide elections just by turning out their urban base. During the 2016 campaigns, more than one out-of-state reporter asked me if North Carolina politics really just comes down to what happens in fast-growing Wake and Mecklenburg. "Democrats better hope...