On Tuesday, the Cook Political Report changed their ranking of North Carolina from a lean Republican state to a toss-up.
The emergence of Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for President has changed the electoral landscape in a big way. When Joe Biden was in the race, he trailed Donald Trump in most major poll taken in the state of North Carolina. But polls with Harris as the candidate have tightened so much that now it is looking like a true toss-up.
Amy Walter wrote, "Despite the optimism and hype, [President] Biden was never able to keep this race [in North Carolina] close. By the time he dropped out of the race in late July, the president was trailing Trump by almost seven points. Today, however, the Tar Heel State looks more competitive than ever."
The election pundit continued by noting that Trump hasn't really lost supporters in the state; the difference is that Democrats are much more eager to vote for Harris. She continued:
"In other words, the race is tightening, not because Harris is cutting into Trump’s vote, but because Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are coming home."
The change in North Carolina wasn't the only good news that the Cook Political Report had for the Harris campaign. The website also moved the states of Minnesota and New Hampshire from leaning Democrat to likely Democratic.