Did Dems, Repubs cut up the territory?

Did Democrats and Republicans cut up the territory?
A long time ago, gentlemen’s agreements about legislative seats would affect who got elected to the General Assembly. There were stories about deals made where politicians from some districts would take turns serving in Raleigh --- and sometimes the same sort of alternating agreement would affect other races. It’s been so long since there was a governor from the western part of the state (Republican Jim Holshouser of Boone in 1972, unless you count Republican Jim Martin of Iredell in 1984 and ’88) that there probably would be some interest in some sort of east-west rotation.
Those alternating agreements were back in the bad old days of Democratic hegemony, when the Dems controlled politics from the courthouse to the statehouse. In the modern era of divided government, there’s much more competition for elective posts. We’ve had Democrats and Republicans in the governor’s office, the U.S. Senate and the Council of State.
And yet: the most recent history is that Democrats have won most of the governor’s races and Republicans have won most of the Senate races. It is almost as though the two parties divided up the territory and agreed on who would have which posts.
I don’t believe that’s the case and I don’t know of a Republican or a Democrat who’d put any credence in such a notion.
Of the major races (U.S. Senate and N.C. governor since 1970), Democrats have won six of the 9 races for governor and all of the last four gubernatorial contests. That’s 67 percent of the time. Republicans just haven’t mounted a very strong challenge in those races.
But in U.S. Senate races, Republicans have won nine of the last 12 races – including all six of the races for the seat once held by Republican Sen. Jesse Helms, and splitting 3-3 with Democrats for the seat once held by Democratic Sen. Sam Ervin. In the most recent contest, Republican Richard Burr won the seat to put both seats in GOP hands. The GOP has won N.C. Senate races 75 percent of the time.
(And it’s worth mentioning that Democrats have won the presidential race in North Carolina just once since 1970 – Jimmy Carter in 1976. Republicans have won all eight of the other races.
It’s enough to make you wonder: Will 2008 test this trend? In the governor’s race, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and State Treasurer Richard Moore are engaged in a lively Democratic primary race while former Supreme Court Associate Justice Bob Orr, state Sen. Fred Smith and Salisbury lawyer Bill Graham are vying in the Republican primary. Conventional wisdom probably calls the race for the Democrats, but Republican Orr has won more statewide races (as a judge) and Smith and Graham both have the money to make it a contest if they're willing to spend it.
In the U.S. Senate race, Democrats appear to be having a hard time coming up with a strong candidate to challenge Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole for another term.
How do you think it’s going to go? Let me know.

Note: Bob Orr commented on this blog on his own blog. Click here to read.