Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/southern-states-show-signs-of-shifting-from-red-to-blue Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Key GOP strongholds Georgia, North Carolina and Florida show possible big gains for Democrats. Reporters probe the reasons behind the shifts in presidential and down-ballot races. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JUDY WOODRUFF: Some reliably Republican stalwarts have turned into real battlegrounds this year, in particular, Virginia, North Carolina and even Georgia.The presidential contest is having an impact on state races, too. One example: North Carolina, where the Republican incumbent, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole, faces a serious challenge from Democrat Kay Hagan. The tenor of that campaign can be seen in one of Dole's TV ads and in Hagan's response.SEN. ELIZABETH DOLE (R), North Carolina: I'm Elizabeth Dole, and I approve this message. TV COMMERCIAL NARRATOR: A leader of the Godless Americans PAC recently held a secret fundraiser in Kay Hagan's honor. ELLEN JOHNSON, Executive Director, Godless Americans: There is no God to rely on. There was no Jesus. BILL O’REILLY, Fox News Host: Well, taking "under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance, you're down with that? DAVID SILVERMAN, Godless Americans: We're down with that. BILL O’REILLY: "In God we trust," you're going to whip that off the money? DAVID SILVERMAN: Yes, we would. TV COMMERCIAL NARRATOR: Godless Americans and Kay Hagan. She hid from cameras, took godless money. What did Hagan promise in return? WOMAN: There is no God.KAY HAGAN (D-NC), U.S. Senate Candidate: I'm Kay Hagan. And Elizabeth Dole's attacks on my Christian faith are offensive. She even faked my voice in her TV ad to make you think I don't believe in God.Well, I believe in God. I taught Sunday school. My faith guides my life, and Sen. Dole knows it.Sure, politics is a tough business, but I approve this message because my campaign is about creating jobs and fixing our economy, not bearing false witness against fellow Christians.