North Carolina: How come Buncombe County went Democrat as I believe it is fairly white compared to most of the state and also in the case of Orange County the Democrat margin seems like the type you would expect in a minority-majority county in the South, not one like this
ANot really certain exactly how it happened, but basically Asheville in Buncombe County is a liberal magnet. If I had to guess, it was because at the time when liberals started getting into the "urban is cool, suburbs drool" mentality, Asheville had a largely intact Art Deco downtown that hadn't fallen into disrepair or been redeveloped with more modern stuff. Now it has a liberal artsy/touristy reputation, so people from the western Carolinas with a liberal bent move there to be with like minded people while still being reasonably close to their families.
As for Orange County, it's home to UNC.