Lately, we think of the rural South as being deeply Republican. Often, however, these changes happened a lot more recently that you might think. That’s true of our #DistrictOfTheDay, North Carolina’s 7th district. Before now, the last R to hold it was in Reconstruction.

Democrats, once dominant in the “Solid South,” began to lose their foothold there in presidential elections as early as the 1960s. Down-ballot, the changes tended to take longer. The realignment wasn’t really complete at the U.S. House level until the elections of 2014.

Most of these Southern Dems were Blue Dogs, and that included the former representative for NC-07 Mike McIntyre. They tended to focus more on local issues (like agriculture and armed services) rather than more tricky social ones. In McIntyre’s case, he hung on later than most.

Incumbency used to matter more than anything (partisanship is now the key). McIntyre rode incumbency all the way from his first election in 1996 to 2014, when he chose to retire. Over time, it became tougher: he won by 117,911 votes in 2008. In 2012, he won by a teeny 654.

Unlike many other Southern Blue Dogs, he can boast that he was never booted out of office. When he did retire, NC-07 rapidly flipped to the GOP. It was won by David Rouzer (R–Wilmington) by more than 20 points, a testament to McIntyre’s strength as a candidate.

Rouzer again won this year by more than 20 points. Despite changes, he proved to maintain his popularity in New Hanover County, home to the city of Wilmington. This year, Joe Biden became the first Democrat to win New Hanover County since 1976, a major achievement.

But that STILL wasn’t enough for Democrats, who have been endlessly taunted by North Carolina. And although Thom Tillis also lost New Hanover, David Rouzer managed to carry it. The big problem for Democrats is that while Wilmington is getting bluer, other coastal counties aren’t.

As @JMilesColeman has pointed out, neighboring Brunswick and Pender Counties have gotten redder thanks to an influx in conservative retirees. It seems to be the endless problem for Dems in NC: no matter where they manage to gain ground, there’s always somewhere else they lose it.

Johnston County, an exurb of Raleigh, also provided Rouzer with a hefty batch of votes that bolstered his victory. This part of the state may have Democratic roots, but they certainly aren’t showing through these days. In NC-07, Dems’ only hope is growth and gains in Wilmington.