MIDTERMS 2022: TRACKING THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO VOTERS AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY

Below, you can track the interest of each of our key issues on a rolling 30-day basis in the swing state of North Carolina. The Washington Examiner will be updating this page as interests and voting concerns change.

trends.embed.renderExploreWidget(“TIMESERIES”, {“comparisonItem”:[{“keyword”:”Abortion”,”geo”:”US-NC”,”time”:”today 1-m”},{“keyword”:”Crime”,”geo”:”US-NC”,”time”:”today 1-m”},{“keyword”:”Education”,”geo”:”US-NC”,”time”:”today 1-m”},{“keyword”:”inflation”,”geo”:”US-NC”,”time”:”today 1-m”},{“keyword”:”Taxes”,”geo”:”US-NC”,”time”:”today 1-m”}],”category”:0,”property”:””}, {“exploreQuery”:”date=today%201-m&geo=US-NC&q=Abortion,Crime,Education,inflation,Taxes”,”guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”});

Key races we’re watching in the state: 

Democrats have set their eyes on several races in North Carolina, particularly those for the state’s Senate seat and a handful of House seats as they seek to defend their majorities in Congress.

Both parties have especially set their eyes on North Carolina’s open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), with Democrats seeking to make waves in a state that has historically benefited Republicans. The race between Democratic candidate Cheri Beasley and Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) has been deemed a statistical tie.

Meanwhile, there are several open House seats being eyed by Democrats, including the 13th Congressional District being vacated by Budd as he runs for Senate and the 11th District that has been thrown open after Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) lost his primary in May. Down the ballot, state lawmakers have also sought to seize on opportunities in the state legislature as they home in on local concerns such as abortion rights and education.

Education

Education emerged as the top issue among North Carolina voters over the last month, reigning as the No. 1 searched topic as of Sept. 19, according to internet searches recorded and analyzed by Google Trends.

The most-searched terms related to education over the last 30 days included the names of student loan companies or “student loan forgiveness.” Education-related searches were highest on Aug. 25, likely coinciding with the announcement of President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.

Biden’s student loan forgiveness became a topic of interest in the Senate race between Beasley and Budd as the two split on whether they backed the move. Beasley praised the program as crucial help for low-income students, while Budd argued the move would worsen inflation.

Taxes

Taxes also emerged as a top issue among North Carolina voters, consistently sitting in the top three issues during the last week of August and the first two weeks of September.

The increase in interest may also have to do with the announcement of Biden’s student loan forgiveness as Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper requested state lawmakers to exempt state residents from paying state income tax on the value of their loan rewards in late September. However, Republican lawmakers shut down the proposal.

Crime

Crime has been one of the top issues among North Carolina voters throughout August and September, alternating as the second- and third-most researched topic.

Crime has long been used by Republicans in attacks against their Democratic opponents, seeking to tie the Left to soft-on-crime policies that have led to a surge of violence nationwide. However, Beasley has attempted to flip the script in the North Carolina Senate race, openly backing law enforcement and denouncing efforts to defund the police.

Throughout her campaign, Beasley has aired several ads touting police support, and she has appeared alongside law enforcement officials on the campaign trail to bolster her support.

Inflation 

Inflation came in as the second-lowest topic among North Carolina voters throughout August and September, aside from a spike in interest on Sept. 13, likely in response to the Bureau of Labor Statistics releasing a report on that day that showed a still-high inflation rate of 8.5%.

The most-searched terms related to inflation included the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed by Biden in early August. The measure seeks to reduce the country’s deficit by $300 billion over the next 10 years by expanding health insurance subsidies, increasing funding for the IRS, and offering financial incentives to companies that prioritize renewable energy.

Republicans have long focused on inflation as a key voter concern in the midterm election cycle, pointing to soaring inflation rates under the Biden administration. However, inflation has become less of a concern after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, offering Democrats relief and posing a challenge to Republicans as they formulate new strategies.

Abortion

Abortion remained a low-researched topic among North Carolina voters over the last 30 days, coming in dead last as of Sept. 19 despite emerging as a high-profile issue in the state legislature.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Top searches related to abortion included queries on the parameters of North Carolina’s abortion law and how much the procedure costs in the state. The issue of abortion has become a topic of discussion among candidates running for the GOP-led state legislature. Republicans need only to gain six seats, one in the Senate and five in the House, to garner enough votes to pass a law banning abortion that would be veto-proof against Cooper.

North Carolina law bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy as of late August, with the state’s abortion law taking effect after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade earlier this summer and ended nationwide access to the procedure.