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DNC rolls into North Carolina, but can Obama hold the state in November?

In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama wrestled North Carolina away from Sen.

In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama wrestled North Carolina away from Sen. John McCain by about 14,000 votes, marking the first time a Democrat had won this southern state since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Students and African-Americans helped squeak out that win for Obama.

With Democrats rolling into Charlotte, N.C., for their party convention this week, many are asking what the president's chances are to hold the state in this year's match-up with Mitt Romney. The Daily Rundown examined the prospects from Charlotte Monday morning.

"North Carolina will be the toughest of the swing states for the president to hang onto. The campaign knows that," said Beth Fouhy, Associated Press political reporter, during Rundown. "The Obama campaign does ground-game organizing better than any campaign ever and they've got an amazing operation here. There's also a ton of advertising going on."

Still, Romney leads Obama 47% to 43% in the state, according to a poll from Elon University/Charlotte Observer/Raleigh News & Observer released Monday.

Steve Kornacki, co-host of msnbc's The Cycle and political writer for Salon.com, concluded that it's not possible for Obama to "recapture what he had in '08" as an incumbent president and during a time of economic uncertainty. Instead, what he needs to create "this week is context," around some of continued negative economic news.

President Obama will accept the Democratic Party's nomination of him as their candidate for president Thursday evening in Charlotte.