Obama Popularity, Clinton Muscle Lift Democrats’ Senate Hopes in North Carolina

Former state lawmaker Deborah Ross is gaining on Senator Richard Burr in a race that’s very much about Donald Trump.

Democratic Senate candidate Deborah Ross greets supporters before casting her vote in Raleigh, North Carolina, on March 10, 2016.

Photographer: Al Drago/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
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Democrats in North Carolina are betting that the conditions are right to retake a crucial Senate seat.

Deborah Ross, looking to unseat Republican Richard Burr, is reaping the benefits of a presidential election year that Kay Hagan lacked when she lost narrowly to Republican Thom Tillis in the 2014 mid-term—a well-organized candidate at the top of the ticket, increased turnout, and the resurgent popularity of President Barack Obama.