North Carolina's Republican candidate for governor is at the center of a national news story. That's because of the salacious nature of a series of posts by Mark Robinson, unearthed by CNN, from a pornography web site's discussion board.

North Carolina has remained “stubbornly Republican”, said Greene. Barack Obama was the only Democrat to win the state in 44 years, and he could only succeed once, in 2008. But the state’s growing urban centres have tilted the political scales towards Democrats, who hope this is the year they can turn North Carolina blue.

The Tar Heel State, where the GOP gubernatorial candidate is steeped in controversy, is a critical battleground in the presidential race.