Iowans send a message to Tar Heels

The Iowa caucusses sent several significant messages that might reverberate in North Carolina.

It is clear that voters want change from politics as usual. Young voters swarmed to participate in the electoral process. Some 56 percent of Democratic voters were voting for the first time.

Hillary Clinton was the hands-down frontrunner, the best known candidate with the biggest star power. Two-thirds of the voters said they didn't want Hillary, proving that her negatives are as high as many suspected. This is the beginning of the end of her campaign.

Barak Obama catapulted into the lead, proving that Whites will vote for a Black man.

John Edwards had a respectable second place finish but doesn't have the funds and won't likely get the support he needs to win the nomination.

Mike Huckabee produced an even more incredible win, coming on strong to beat the wealthy Mitt Romney. The media is trying to emphasize the impact evangelical Christians played in Huckabee's victory but only time will tell whether this is a significant and important factor.

What does this mean in North Carolina? I think young people also want change and may insert themselves into this year's elections. If the national candidates end up being Obama and Huckabee leaders of both state parties will likely be pleased with the potential benefit the respective candidate has on their ticket in November. While Huckabee may not be as far to the right as many state Republicans want he has the bona fides they need. Democrats will be happy not to have a presidential nominee with such high negatives.

If the two end up being the standard bearers for their respective parties the election could be extremely exciting and draw voters to the polls.

What's your spin on Thursday's Iowa vote? How do you think this will impact the upcoming vote in New Hampshire and neighboring South Carolina? Most importantly, how might this impact the elections in North Carolina?