CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ A Democratic challenger held a razor-thin lead over Republican Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina early Wednesday in a hard-fought, high-profile governor's race, one of several around the country on a night that mostly favored the GOP.
With more than 99 percent of precincts reporting, state Attorney General Roy Cooper led McCrory by slightly more than 2,000 votes out of more than 4 million cast.
With 12 governorships up for grabs, Republicans maintained control of three of those chief executive seats and picked off a Democratic one, while Democrats held onto three in the initial races counted.
Even with five contests still in play, Republicans retained gubernatorial dominance nationwide. Democrats had gone into the contest holding 18 governorships to Republicans' 31.
North Carolina was a prime battlefield, with backing for McCrory reflecting the rightward swing that also helped propel presidential candidate Donald Trump to victory in the state.
McCrory had calculated that supporting House Bill 2, the state's law that restricts transgender bathroom access, would shore up his Republican base.
Yet the new law swiftly became so unpopular, generating economic boycotts and prompting sports leagues such as the NBA to pull championship events from the state, that McCrory found himself entrenched in one of closest gubernatorial races in the nation, struggling in his bid for re-election against Cooper, a Democrat who has served as attorney general since 2001.
Many independent voters in the bustling, modern Southern city of Charlotte _ and even some who typically vote Republican _ said Tuesday that they had been dismayed by the governor's strident backing of HB2 and were concerned about the law's negative impact on the state's reputation.
While McCrory was generally unpopular in the state's urban and suburban areas, his vigorous leadership in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which brought record flooding to some parts of the state, revitalized his fortunes and brought the race to "coin-toss status," said J. Michael Bitzer, a professor of political science at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C.
In the governor's race in Vermont, voters switched the state into the GOP column. Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott bested Democrat Sue Minter, the former state transportation secretary. Although the state is traditionally Democratic-leaning, it sometimes supports candidates who are fiscally conservative but socially liberal.
In Indiana, GOP Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb emerged victorious, having stepped in after fellow Republican Gov. Mike Pence joined Trump's national ticket.
In races still undecided late Tuesday, Republican Chris Sununu was ahead in New Hampshire.
