Democrats in the legislature should immediately embrace a statewide referendum on HB2. This issue is killing Republicans. A referendum will keep it alive all year.

A cascade of national money will flow in to help Roy Cooper, Deborah Ross and Josh Stein.

Pat McCrory’s “Carolina Comeback” will drown in a tide of ongoing news  about the economic damage.

Richard Burr’s plans to run on terrorism will be swept aside.

Buck Newton will spend the year explaining how he’ll “keep North Carolina straight.”

Democratic legislative candidates will win every swing district in metropolitan areas.

Young voters and Bernie Sanders voters who might sit out in November will turn out.

North Carolinians will see every day how HB2 hurts the state.

And they’ll see that Denny Hastert is a bigger sexual-predator threat than HB2.