PPP-NC - Burr with 41% approval

[Alcon]

Sometimes in very conservative areas, and I'm not saying this happened in this case, the very few people who turn out for primaries are very liberal.  Like, Obama did extremely well in Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, etc.'s primaries.

Maybe in Utah, but North Carolina is pretty damn different...unless there are a lot of mountain getaway-type homes there, or something.

A lot of Obama's Utah win related to kick-ass performance in tourist areas.  Although you may be onto something -- Obama totally ruined Clinton in Provo.  But in a rural, downscale county like that?  Doesn't seem like an area that would be flooded with culturally liberal Dems.  Just intuition.

That's not the Asheville area anyway, Asheville is in the northeast corner.  The counties he won are Yancey, which is standard-issue Appalachia (with plenty of Democrats) and McDowell -- which is a Blue Mountains county to its heart, but doesn't especially vote like one.  Odd

[Alcon]

Sometimes in very conservative areas, and I'm not saying this happened in this case, the very few people who turn out for primaries are very liberal.  Like, Obama did extremely well in Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, etc.'s primaries.

Western North Carolina is not exactly the land of the ski-bunnies and environmental workers. Although the traditional vote there is Republican, unlike in most of the rural South.

Also, Alcon, Asheville is in Buncombe County, which borders both McDowell and Yancey, although a cursory glance suggests that the influence of Asheville doesn't extend beyond the Buncombe County line (so McDowell and Yancey are still mostly rural). According to Wikipedia, the census does not put either in the Asheville MSA.

Oops, my bad.  Was confusing Ashe County and Asheville.  That makes more sense.

The most bizarre thing is the strong Neal counties were both very strong for Hillary. WTF?

Not especially bizarre.  They're Blue Mountains land...Verily is right.  This is essentially Appalachian-ish demographics, just with a traditional Republican heritage.