{"id":2356900,"date":"2024-10-19T06:21:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T10:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-issues-north-carolina-voters-are-searching-for-most-ahead-of-2024-election\/"},"modified":"2024-10-19T06:22:15","modified_gmt":"2024-10-19T10:22:15","slug":"the-issues-north-carolina-voters-are-searching-for-most-ahead-of-2024-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-issues-north-carolina-voters-are-searching-for-most-ahead-of-2024-election\/","title":{"rendered":"The issues North Carolina voters are searching for most ahead of 2024 election"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-issues-north-carolina-voters-are-searching-for-most-ahead-of-2024-election%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2356900&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses key issues that North Carolina voters are \u200bprioritizing as they prepare for the 2024 presidential election. It highlights five main concerns: crime, social security, abortion, the\u2064 economy, and immigration. <\/p>\n<p>1. **Crime**: Ranked as the top \u200dconcern, crime rates in North \u200cCarolina saw significant fluctuations, with a notable \u200bdrop in violent crime from 2021 to 2022,\u200c though some categories,\u200b like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/district-of-crime-washington-struggles-to-shake-off-wave-that-rose-with-pandemic-dc-is-handicapped\/\" title=\"Washington, DC battles to overcome crime surge amid pandemic: &#039;DC faces challenges&#039;\">motor\u200d vehicle theft<\/a>, increased. A survey \u2062indicated that 54% of residents are worried about gun violence.<\/p>\n<p>2. **Social Security**: This issue is second on the list, with proposed changes potentially affecting over 7.8 million residents \u2062in the \u200cstate. Concerns revolve around proposed increases in retirement age and potential cuts to\u2063 benefits.<\/p>\n<p>3. **Abortion**: \u2062The third\u200d most pressing \u200dissue,\u200c North Carolina has enacted laws \u200cregulating abortion access, including\u200d restrictions on medication abortion and consent requirements for minors. Following the \u200coverturning of Roe v. Wade, \u2064local legislation has sought to protect abortion rights against \u2063out-of-state actions.<\/p>\n<p>4. **Economy**:\u200c Voters express concerns about\u2063 economic stability,\u200d with an\u2064 unemployment rate similar to \u200dthe national average at 3.5%. The state&#8217;s economy is \u200cgrowing, with notable contributions from the retail sector, but it remains below the national\u2064 growth rate.<\/p>\n<p>The article notes that these issues are monitored through Google \u2063Trends, indicating their fluctuating importance among North Carolinians. The insights provided reflect the complexities and evolving nature of voter priorities in a swing state \u2062as the election approaches.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Election 2024: Here are the issues North Carolina voters care the most about<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1838677\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>North Carolina<\/a> voted blue from 1876 to 1964 before flipping red from 1968 until 2008, when Barack Obama won the state. The state went red again, with Mitt Romney winning in 2012 by 2%, followed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> taking the state&rsquo;s 16 electoral votes in the last two elections by 3.9% and 1.3% in 2020.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>is following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newt-gingrich-after-midterm-election-the-challenges-facing-democrats-and-republicans\/\" title=\"Newt Gingrich: After Midterm Election, the Challenges Facing Democrats and Republicans\">key issues voters care<\/a> about as they prepare to vote for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>next president<\/a> of the United States. The specific issues being tracked are social security, crime, abortion, economy, and immigration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The issues were chosen with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/election-results-2024\/google-trends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>Associated Press <\/em>issues tracker<\/a>. The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> subsequently compared five of the key issues in Google Trends on a state-by-state basis, revealing which are most important to voters in swing contests.<\/p>\n<p>Here, you can track how important these various concerns are to the voters in North Carolina on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/midterm-elections-2022-here-are-the-issues-arizona-voters-care-about-the-most\/\" title=\"Midterm elections 2022: Here are the issues Arizona voters care about the most\">rolling 30-day basis<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/ssl.gstatic.com\/trends_nrtr\/3826_RC01\/embed_loader.js\"><\/script> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(\"TIMESERIES\", {\"comparisonItem\":[{\"keyword\":\"abortion\",\"geo\":\"US-NC\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"immigration\",\"geo\":\"US-NC\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"economy\",\"geo\":\"US-NC\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"crime\",\"geo\":\"US-NC\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"},{\"keyword\":\"social security\",\"geo\":\"US-NC\",\"time\":\"today 1-m\"}],\"category\":0,\"property\":\"\"}, {\"exploreQuery\":\"date=today%201-m&geo=US-NC&q=abortion,immigration,economy,crime,social%20security&hl=en\",\"guestPath\":\"https:\/\/trends.google.com:443\/trends\/embed\/\"}); <\/script> <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crime<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Crime in North Carolina trended as the No. 1 issue for voters in the Tar Heel State. Crime rates in the state have risen significantly since 2019, yet they dropped from 2021 to 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsbi.gov\/SSRV?report=\/UCR\/IndexOffenses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After a steady increase in violent crime from 2012 to 2019, it spiked in 2020. However, between 2021 and 2022, murder dropped 11.9%, burglary fell 7.2%, and all violent crime dropped 3%. Nonetheless, 2022 showed a 7.5% growth in motor vehicle theft and a 1.1% uptick in larceny.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, the violent crime <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsbi.gov\/SSRV?report=\/UCR\/IndexRates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>rate<\/a> per 100,000 residents was 413.5, and the property crime rate was 2,118.7 per 100,000. In 2023, the state saw 33 mass shootings compared to 21 shootings in 2021. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safewise.com\/blog\/safest-cities-north-carolina\/#Violent_Crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>survey<\/a> by <em>SafeWise,<\/em> 54% of people in North Carolina said they were concerned about gun violence- higher than the national average of 51%.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social Security&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>Concerns over social security came in second for North Carolinians, as proposed changes to social security could negatively affect people in the state, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/article\/raising-the-retirement-age-for-social-security-would-cut-benefits-by-thousands-of-dollars-each-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the Center for American Progress. One proposal put forth by the Heritage Foundation would raise the retirement age, affecting 73% of North Carolinians- over 7,800,000 residents. Another would slash benefits from $13,000 to $8,900 after one year. Also, the median-wage retiree could lose $46,000 to $100,000 over the next 10 years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With so much money on the line, it makes sense why many North Carolina voters would feel insecure about what might become of their social security throughout the next presidency.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abortion<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>North Carolina voters have abortion as their third most concerning issue this election, and whereas the state&rsquo;s legislature isn&rsquo;t wholly supportive of the procedure, on July 1, 2023, North Carolina made abortion <a href=\"https:\/\/reproductiverights.org\/maps\/state\/north-carolina\/\">accessible<\/a> up until 12 weeks of pregnancy while enforcing a mandatory 72 hour waiting period and counseling sessions. The state also requires a parent, guardian, or judge to consent to a minor&rsquo;s procedure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Administering medication abortion is allowed in-person only as mailing medication abortion is restricted in the state. Also, only licensed physicians are permitted to perform the procedure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As of Oct. 1, 2023, abortions occurring past the 12-week limit due to an exception, such as the life of the mother, rape, or incest, can only be provided in a hospital. These <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plannedparenthood.org\/planned-parenthood-south-atlantic\/patients\/health-care-services\/abortion-services\/nc-abortion-faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>exceptions<\/a> have later gestational limits, with life-threatening causes having until 24 weeks to receive an abortion and rape or incest pregnancies having 20 weeks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Immediately following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper (D), signed an executive order barring the state&rsquo;s government from participating in out-of-state investigations or legal actions in relation to abortion procedures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Economy<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Economic concerns were fourth for North Carolina voters, whose unemployment rate has been similar to the national average, currently 3.7%, since before the pandemic, <a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/topics\/economy\/state\/north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the Bureaus of Labor Statistics and Economic Analysis. The rate in the state as of Nov. 2023 was 3.5%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The state&rsquo;s gross domestic product summed up to $771.1 billion in goods and services last year, with a growth rate of 4.6%. The state ranks 29th in unemployment and 31st in economic growth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The industry that saw the most growth in 2023 was retail trade, with an improvement rate of 26.6%. Real estate grew by 2.8%, but the government industry fell by 2.2%, and wholesale trade went down 3.9%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Yet, North Carolina&rsquo;s economy contributes a significant amount to the U.S. economy, accounting for 2.8% in 2023 and ranking 11th in economic size.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Immigration<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Immigration came in last for voter searches. In North Carolina, 8.6% of its population is immigrants, equating to just under a million people, <a href=\"https:\/\/map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org\/locations\/north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the <em>American Immigration Council<\/em>. Of the total workforce, immigrants make up 11.1% of it, and 14.1% of the state&rsquo;s entrepreneurs are immigrants. They make up 17.2% of North Carolina&rsquo;s STEM workers and almost 8% of nurses.<\/p>\n<p>The top countries of origin for North Carolina immigrants are Mexico, India, Honduras, El Salvador and Vietnam. Of the 74,200 immigrant entrepreneurs, the total business income was $1.6 billion. There was $9.8 billion paid in immigrants&rsquo; taxes and they had $28.5 billion in spending power.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Immigrants are more likely to have a graduate degree than U.S.-born residents, but less likely to have a bachelor&rsquo;s degree. There are 23,488 international students throughout the state, with a mass economic contribution of $816.1 million.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the state, 43.8% of all immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens, while 34.2% are undocumented. There are 138,200 immigrants eligible for naturalization.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1838677\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1838677\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Election 2024: Key issues for North Carolina voters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3427,"featured_media":2356901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP080410050951.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32431,38415,32457,32258,4223],"class_list":["post-2356900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-2024-election","tag-election-trends","tag-key-issues","tag-north-carolina","tag-voters"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP080410050951.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3427"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2356900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2356901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2356900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2356900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2356900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}