Turning purple: the presidential race in the south

There is probably no better place in Georgia for Donald Trump to rally supporters than Macon, where he will appear this evening. Though Macon–Bibb County, which is largely African-American, backed Hillary Clinton in 2016, the surrounding counties are deeply conservative. Mr Trump needs votes there to offset his presumptive losses in Atlanta and its suburbs—the candidates are currently neck-and-neck in Georgia. The days of the Republican solid South are fading. Virginia is now safely Democratic. Joe Biden holds a small but steady lead in North Carolina. Besides Georgia, Florida and even Texas, which no Democrat has won since Jimmy Carter in 1976, are all in play. The South is changing: Atlanta’s suburbs are multiracial and Georgia’s black and Latino populations are growing faster than whites. North Carolina’s Research Triangle draws talent from all over the world. Virginia’s population now centres around the wealthy, highly educated suburbs of Washington, DC. The South’s future is purple.

rally：集合，召集

Macon: (地名)梅肯

back：支持，帮助

conservetive：守旧派，保守党

offset：抵消，补偿

presumptive：假设的，推测的

suburb：郊区，城外

neck-and-neck：齐头并进

The Republican: 共和党

The Democratic: 民主党

in play：在比赛中，在起作用

multiracial：多种族的

draw talent：吸引人才

centre around：集中于，包围

Research Triangle: （机构名）三角研究院

注: purple 紫色州，是摇摆州，指的是在美国总统大选中，民主党和共和党势均力敌的州。