North Carolina is a battleground in this year’s presidential contest.

Polls show the race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden to be tight.

So what might happen this November? This series aims to help unpack that question, looking some of the key factors heading into election day.

Click on the links below to watch all five parts of the series.

This series follows up on a 2019 Spectrum News 1 series looking at the state of play in North Carolina ahead of the 2020 election.

Part 1: Canvassing During a Pandemic 

Door-to-door canvassing is a longtime staple of election season - a chance to engage with potential voters face-to-face. But in 2020, the global pandemic is reshaping this tradition, and the two parties are reacting very differently.



Part 2: Farmers, the Pandemic, and the Election 

Despite a year of big news in trade and other political news, two farmers who first spoke to Spectrum News 1 in August 2019 and again just last month indicated their positions on the presidential race remain largely unchanged.

One says he is committed to President Donald Trump, while the other says he is unsure of how he will vote.

Part 3: The Suburbs 

Suburbs nationwide trended blue in the 2018 midterms, helping flip the U.S. House of Representatives into Democratic control. Those same communities could be make or break this year’s presidential contest, paving the way for a Trump or Biden victory in North Carolina.

Part 4: Joe Biden as the Democratic Nominee 

The 2020 Democratic primary started with a crowded field, but ultimately voters chose former Vice President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.

Biden dominated in North Carolina’s Democratic primary. He racked up 43 percent of the vote that night, besting his nearest competitor, Bernie Sanders, by nearly 20 percent.

How might Biden do in the Tar Heel State in November’s general election?



Part 5: Revisiting North Carolina’s Swing Counties

Between 2012 and 2016, seven North Carolina counties - many of them rural - flipped from backing the Democratic presidential ticket to backing the Republican ticket: Bladen, Gates, Granville, Martin, Nash, Richmond, and Robeson.

Only one county flipped from red to blue: Watauga.

Where do things stand now?