Two Duke University researchers have identified 28 North Carolina counties crucial to former President Donald Trump’s victories in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections—areas that could present challenges for Democratic candidates in future elections. While much analysis of Trump’s 2020 victory in North Carolina focused on the gap between major urban hubs and rural communities, McCorkle and Salzberg note Trump received significantly more votes in the 28 countrypolitan counties they identified compared to all of North Carolina’s 50 non-metro counties.