25 Years From Now. . .

[muon2]

NC has moved righter over the years...

Well not really.  It has fluctuated a bit but is really very stable. 
Democrat vote percentages in NC over the last 25 years:
2004 - 43.58%
2000 - 43.20%
1996 - 44.04%
1992 - 42.65%
1988 - 41.71%
1984 - 37.89%
1980 - 47.18%

That's almost grotesquely stable! I note the Dem increase between 92 and 96 had no effect whatsoever in NC.

Probably a sign of the lack of a political realignment during the last 25 years. A realignment doesn't necessarily affect every state, but it affects enough of the states to change the overall dynamics. One reason I wouldn't want to speculate on 2030, is that a realignment is more likely than not before then, IMO.

[muon2]

NC has moved righter over the years...

Well not really.  It has fluctuated a bit but is really very stable. 
Democrat vote percentages in NC over the last 25 years:
2004 - 43.58%
2000 - 43.20%
1996 - 44.04%
1992 - 42.65%
1988 - 41.71%
1984 - 37.89%
1980 - 47.18%

That's almost grotesquely stable! I note the Dem increase between 92 and 96 had no effect whatsoever in NC.

Probably a sign of the lack of a political realignment during the last 25 years. A realignment doesn't necessarily affect every state, but it affects enough of the states to change the overall dynamics. One reason I wouldn't want to speculate on 2030, is that a realignment is more likely than not before then, IMO.

There was a realignment, only it occured in 1968, so you won't see it show up on a timeline beginning in 1980.

I think that was my point.

There has been debate on other threads about whether the realignment occurred in 1968 or 1980. The key is whether 1972 or 1976 is the out of place election. Either way, none has occurred since, resulting in the relatively stable voting patterns at the presidential level noted by opebo.