Some nice points but also NC voted for Trump in the last two presidential elections - and this despite having been a swing state prior to that?

So yeah, not as deep a red state as they could be, but they were still fairly influential in e.g. dropping out of the Paris Climate Accord, not merely individually as a state but in causing the entire United States of America to do so.

The best time to have done something was yesterday - or in this case, 8 years ago.

Though the second best time is now.