The NC GOP in panic mode
Evidence that the GOP is hitting panic mode in North Carolina came in the form of a leaked email from Republican House Caucus director Matt Bales. Before the votes were completely counted in Pennsylvania, Bales shot off a warning to members of the GOP caucus: “Last...
What PA-18 means to North Carolina
Last night’s election results sent Republicans into full-fledged panic mode. Democrats won a Congressional district in Pennsylvania that Trump won by 19 points in 2016. Even before the ballots had been fully counted, the nature of the race was evident. As...
A look at North Carolina congressional districts
Dr. Michael Bitzer of Catawba College has some great data up on his blog and more is coming. The most recent post concerns the Congressional districts in North Carolina. It helps explain why the districts are competitive or not and also highlights how North Carolina...
What to watch for in the Blue Moon election
Filing ended last week and North Carolina filled up the ballots for legislative races. Every seat is contested. For political junkies, 2018 should be a field day. With so many contested races, expect some surprises. Seemingly safe seats will suddenly be endangered....
A tale of two “scandals”
Republicans are trying their best to turn the a scandal of their own aimed at House Speaker Tim Moore. Democrats have a better scandal than Republicans. The accusations that the GOP is leveling at Cooper are convoluted and hard to follow. Apparently, the Cooper...
Left behind
I grew up in the rural South fifty years ago. Back then, a lot of white people, mostly men, would occasionally tell racist jokes or make racist comments in almost any company--as long as it was white. They usually played on negative stereotypes, impugning...
Maserati Tim Moore
Back when Republicans were in the minority in the General Assembly, they complained loudly about cronyism and corruption among the Democrats in control of the state. And they had a point. Democratic Speaker Jim Black went to prison for buying a vote for House Speaker...
Leave the NRA out of it
Monday morning seems a great time to attract the scorn of my friends on the left, so here goes. The gun debate highlights the problems Democrats have winning policy debates and elections. Instead of focusing on the problems and the solutions, they’ve defined it as...
Clear eyes, full ballot, can’t lose
Kudos to both parties for filling up the ballot in North Carolina this year. Every legislative race will be contested in November and 12 of 13 Congressional districts have races. I’m glad I didn’t know Democrats didn’t have a challenger in NC-03. I would have hated to...
A retrospective: Race and turnout in rural North Carolina
Reading the Elon Poll reminded me of a story from early in my career. It also reminded me how urban areas differ from rural ones. The story has lessons for people running for office this year, too. Twenty years ago, at the urging of a political friend, the Democratic...
