Why that wave might happen
Last week, I wrote that the wave Democrats are expecting might not arrive. I argued that a strong economy, the recent tax cuts and normalization of Trump’s behavior could reduce the wave that seemed so apparent just a few weeks ago. However, evidence keeps building...
Checks and imbalances
North Carolina Representative David Lewis called a news conference to have a temper tantrum this week. He blasted Democrats for suing “until North Carolina is blue, despite what the people, despite what the voters, want.” The Republicans then promptly sued to try to...
More chaos and uncertainty
There’s a lot going on this week in the legislature and North Carolina politics. Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued two rulings on gerrymandering cases that affect North Carolina elections. Also, today, the legislature is going into session but GOP leaders won’t say...
The Millennials are coming
Catawba College Political Science professor Michael Bitzer has another good analysis of voter registration trends in North Carolina. This time, he notes that Millennials and Generation Z now make up the largest block of registered voters in the state. That said,...
A wave or a ripple?
We’re hearing a lot about a Democratic wave emerging in 2018. I’ve written about it. So has just about every other Democratic pundit. Even Republicans are worried about one. However, I’m starting to have my doubts. Sure, Democrats will do better this year than they...
Romley can give Holding a run for his money
(Full disclosure: I work with the Romley for Congress campaign. That said, I'm sure Ken Romley is the best candidate to compete with George Holding in November.) End-of-the-year finance reports are out for Congressional campaigns. In North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional...
Only themselves to blame
Republicans who keep losing court cases blame judges and the court system instead of looking at the legislation they’re passing. The latest loss came yesterday when a federal judge reinstated primaries for Supreme Court and Court of Appeals cases. It wasn’t a complete...
The Trump apologists
Reading Peder Zane’s defense of Donald Trump this morning in the N&O is disheartening. But after what the North Carolina legislature has done to our state, we should be used to it. Once conventional Republicans ignore unconventional and damaging behavior in...
Fixing gerrymandering won’t save the Democrats
North Carolina is frequently called Ground Zero for gerrymandering. Our state has been in court for almost two continuous decades arguing about drawing districts that illegally benefit one party or the other. Polls show that residents know more about the redistricting...
A lot of bad choices
The North Carolina legislature is supposed to be a part-time body, but you wouldn’t know that by the number of special sessions we’ve had. Every time legislators come back to Raleigh, there are rumors and speculation about what they’ll do. This time, the GOP is using...
