North Carolina has remained “stubbornly Republican”, said Greene. Barack Obama was the only Democrat to win the state in 44 years, and he only won it once, in 2008. But the state’s growing urban centres have tilted the political scales towards Democrats, who hope this is the year they can turn North Carolina blue.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said the controversy surrounding Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson could help Vice President Kamala Harris flip his state for Democrats on Election Day.

North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, right, speaks with reporters outside the Olympic Family Restaurant in Colfax, N.C., where Robinson held a campaign event on Monday, Aug.