The GOP pounced on an opportunity in 2010 when liberal complacency after 2008 combined with numerous NC Democratic party scandals in the aughts (Meg Scott Phipps, Mike Easley, and Jim Black were the big ones). Art Pope (NC’s local Koch brother) put $3 million into local campaigns in a stealth campaign that snuck up on Democratic operatives, and then they gerrymandered the crap out of the place.
There is a very, very good chance that Democrats will sweep the statewide elections this year and Republicans will still hold a majority of both state houses and the US House districts because of this. And if that happens, Deborah Ross will not be your conventional conservative Southern Democratic Senator.