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Although all 170 legislative seats are up for election, 65 are already filled by candidates running unopposed. Many districts where voters have a choice are shaped to give either the Democratic or the Republican candidate a clear advantage.

That reduces the major fights for voters to about a dozen House districts and roughly four of 50 Senate districts.

Landscape changes

The legislative campaigns have some common themes: illegal immigration, education, health care and state spending. But in battleground districts, the outcome will likely be determined by other matters: population growth resulting in new voters, turnout and political money.

In Wake County, population growth has transformed a House district that was once a sure thing for Republicans into a tossup. Veteran Rep. Russell Capps, a Raleigh Republican, is defending his seat against a strong challenge from Democrat Ty Harrell, a fundraiser for Duke University. New Triangle voters, not raised in the South, don't necessarily identify with traditional Bible-belt Republican issues, Davis said.

Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district, but about 30 percent of voters are unaffiliated.

"Even registered Republicans, they are not as conservative as a Russell Capps Republican," Davis said. "It's the new urban voter."

Harrell has amassed a volunteer corps that knocks on doors and makes telephone calls. He is talking to voters wherever he can find them.

"I'm not going to let off the gas until the last precincts are reporting," Harrell said.

Capps, who has won the district handily in past years, spent most of last week on vacation with his family and scheduled no campaign events.

Capps is confident he will win. He has volunteers working for him, and his campaign plans a round of mail.

A $970 million school bond referendum will likely draw Wake voters to the polls. Significant turnout by unaffiliated voters could give Harrell an edge.

"If turnout is low, we win," Capps said.

Will voters tune in?

In the Asheville area, where a state House seat is opening up, Doug Jones, a Democrat, is hoping high turnout and interest in a stiff challenge to Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor will lift him to victory. Jones, a schoolteacher, is running against Republican Charles Thomas.

Jones, who lost a bid for the seat two years ago, said the voters' mood is working against Republicans and Taylor. He hopes that will boost his candidacy.

But Jones has a hill to climb in a district that likes Republican candidates. President Bush won the district in 2004 with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Thomas, who operates a flight school, expects some coattail effect in his race. But he thinks the seat will stay in Republican hands. He said the biggest challenge has been getting heard over the noisy congressional contest.

"I don't think people are really tuned in to the state races," Thomas said.

Making Black an issue

Black, who hails from Matthews, near Charlotte, made a surprise appearance in a Senate race hundreds of miles from his home base. Or, at least, his picture did.

The state GOP ran a television ad in the district covering coastal Carteret, Craven and Pamlico counties questioning the trustworthiness of Democrat Pete Bland, equating him with Black.

Bland, in the Senate since February, when he was appointed to fill a vacant seat, was surprised to see his face next to that of Black, a man he said he barely knows. Besides, he pointed out, his Republican opponent, state Rep. Jean Preston, twice crossed party lines to vote for Black as speaker.

This coastal contest has been blazing for weeks, through the mail and on television and radio. Republicans consider this district one of their best chances to narrow the Democrats' advantage in the Senate. State Democrats have poured money into the district campaign.

Democrats won't say how much they are spending this year. Two years ago, the Democratic incumbent spent nearly $700,000, more than half coming from the state Democratic Party. The Republican candidate spent about $200,000 in the loss.

Preston said that if she is not outspent by more than 2-to-1, she can win.

"I love a challenge," she said.

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