ANSON COUNTY, N.C. — Anson County will be the focus of unlikely media attention in the coming months.
NBC News will be tracking voter sentiment in the rural county southeast of Charlotte.
"We want to be in Anson once a month, if not more often," Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd said.
Anson will be one of eight counties across the U.S. NBC News will be focused on through the midterm elections in 2022.
"We think the best way to understand the American electorate and this political realignment we're living in the middle of is to look at it from a county-level perspective," Todd said.
Specifically, NBC journalists will be analyzing the African-American vote. Rural voters of color failed to turn out for Joe Biden as they did for Barack Obama.
"It's why Biden did not carry North Carolina and why democrats lost that Senate race," Todd said.
Todd thinks winning their support in 2022 will be essential for Democrats.
"If Democrats can figure out how to get their African-American rural turnout up, that is going to tell you about a Senate race not just in North Carolina, but the statewide races in South Carolina and the statewide races in Georgia," Todd said.
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.
Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.