For North Carolina Republicans, 2020 started as a bright election year. But now, due in part to the coronavirus pandemic, the political forecast for the next five months before Election Day is full of storms: scrambling to save the Republican National Convention, tough elections made even more challenging, and an insider trading scandal to top it off.

“Nobody’s certain of where they are,” said veteran North Carolina Republican strategist Carter Wrenn. “The old logic no longer applies.”