A State-Level View of the Crisis in U.S. Democracy: Mapping the Political and Media Dynamics of North Carolina Over the Past Decade

• In Event: Global Populism, Local Populism: Comparing Sub-National Dynamics of the Crisis of Democracy

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the crisis of democratic governance in the U.S. state of North Carolina. North Carolina is a political swing state with dynamics that parallel social fissures taking shape in the United States as a whole. During the past quarter-century, the state experienced substantial in-migration from elsewhere in the United States and internationally fueled by booming high-tech and finance sectors in urban and exurban areas clustered around Raleigh and Charlotte. Meanwhile, the state’s traditional economic engines—textile, furniture, cigarette manufacturing and agriculture—have declined significantly, causing significant population decline and economic hardship in many rural areas, save for a significant and growing Latino population. These economic and social dynamics have led to a Republican takeover of the state legislature and subsequent attempts at racial gerrymandering and vote suppression coupled with steep cuts in social services.

North Carolina's racial, economic, and political dynamics capture some of the most important economic and political trends in the contemporary United States, making it an ideal site to study contemporary crises in democracy. We take a multi-faceted approach to analyzing the historical, social, and communicative contexts of the state’s political dynamics. First, we present the results of a comparative analysis of interview data with NC state political journalists conducted in 2007 and 2017. We asked these close observers of the state’s changing politics how local journalism and its audiences have changed, and their perceptions of the differences in politics during these two time periods as well as what has shaped these dynamics. Second, we present the results of a state-level comparative survey of North Carolina and Wisconsin voters that includes knowledge, issue, media consumption, and populism measures. Third, we conduct a comparative analysis of the media systems of these two states, mapping their different information landscapes with a particular focus on local media outlets. Finally, we analyze the social media metrics of institutional political actors to gauge public connection to them – from members of the NC general assembly and governor to civil society organizations such as the NRA and churches and local media.

Authors

• Daniel Kreiss, U of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Deen Goodwin Freelon, American U

• Andrew Perrin, UNC- Chapel Hill

• Philip M. Napoli, Duke U