National Journal calls McCrory 'most vulnerable' GOP governor in 2016

Thought the 2014 election season in North Carolina was exhausting? Brace yourself: The National Journal predicts the state will be "ground zero" in the 2016 campaign.

In an article published this week, the Journal points out that the top three contests on our ballot will be hotly contested. The races for governor, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's seat and for president could be decided by close margins here.

"The state's Senate seat, held by Republican Richard Burr, is among the few battlegrounds that will determine which party controls the Senate," the article says. "And above all, North Carolina - which narrowly backed President Obama in 2008 and gave Mitt Romney a small victory in 2012 - is poised for its third consecutive turn as a presidential battleground."

The article also forecasts that Gov. Pat McCrory won't have a cakewalk to a second term. It says he "starts his reelection campaign as the most vulnerable Republican incumbent on the gubernatorial map."

The National Journal also handicaps the likely candidates for Burr's seat. It calls U.S. Transportation Secretary (and former Charlotte mayor) Anthony Foxx and ousted Sen. Kay Hagan the top candidates.

And that comment about North Carolina being "ground zero" on a national level? It comes from Morgan Jackson, who the article describes as a "Raleigh-based Democratic strategist." What it doesn't mention is that he's already hard at work on Attorney General Roy Cooper's likely campaign for governor.

This story was originally published December 5, 2014 at 1:00 PM with the headline "National Journal calls McCrory 'most vulnerable' GOP governor in 2016."