- Title: North Carolina primaries spotlight Republican loyalty to Trump
- Date: 28th February 2026
- Summary: RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 28, 2026) (REUTERS) NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY CUP AND BARACK OBAMA IN THE BACKGROUND OF PROFESSOR GREENE'S OFFICE STEVEN GREENE'S AWARD STEVEN GREENE IN OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, STEVEN GREENE, SAYING: "It's so hard to say. You know, it's honestly,
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- Keywords: elections midterms north carolina primaries swing state trump
- Location: RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES
- City: RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001956228022026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:As North Carolina voters head into primary elections on Tuesday (March 3), Republicans in the closely divided battleground state are campaigning in a party closely aligned with President Donald Trump, while Democrats look to capitalize on what some analysts describe as vulnerabilities heading into November. The state, where Republicans hold a narrow edge, is expected to play a key role in determining control of major offices this year.
At his office at North Carolina State University, political science professor Steven Greene said it remains unclear how national and international developments could shape voter sentiment. “It’s so hard to say,” Greene said, adding that some issues may fade from public focus. However, if the United States were drawn into a prolonged conflict abroad, he said, that “seems highly likely” to further hurt Trump’s popularity. Greene noted that Republican primary campaigns have centered heavily on allegiance to the president, with candidates emphasizing their ties to Trump.
Former Supreme Court of North Carolina Justice Robert F. Orr, a longtime Republican who became unaffiliated after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said he sees little space within today’s GOP for dissent. Orr, who said he refused to support Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention and later backed Democrat Joe Biden, said current primary contests show candidates competing to align themselves with Trump and his political agenda.
“There has been no inclination for anybody to move away from” that alignment, he said.
With early voting under way and campaign ads blanketing Raleigh and other parts of the state, the primaries will offer an early indication of whether Republican voters remain unified behind Trump’s influence and whether that unity will help or hinder the party in the general election.
Greene said that in a closely split state, an unpopular president can shift the balance toward the opposing party, making November’s contests especially consequential.
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