North Carolina – Democrats – Talking About Politics

For Our Schools: Mo Green

By Gary Pearce | 2024-04-18

A teacher I know, who happens to be our daughter Maggie Pearce Dill, said it better than I could about Mo Green, the Democratic nominee for state superintendent of public instruction: “I have met more candidates and seen more politicians speak than I can count, but very rarely am I moved like I was hearing…

Fooling Voters

By Carter Wrenn | 2024-04-15

Leading Jesse Helms’ campaign back in 1990 Tom Ellis asked pollster John McLaughlin: ‘Who do we want to win the Democratic primary?’ John opened his poll. Turned pages. Looked straight at Tom Ellis. ‘You want Harvey Gantt – not Mike Easley.’ Gantt would be easier for Jesse to beat in the General Election. Jesse’s campaign…

Both Sides Now?

By Gary Pearce | 2024-03-26

Democratic heads exploded over this story in The News & Observer last week: “The two candidates running to lead North Carolina’s public schools are accusing each other of promoting radical agendas that would devastate public education in the state.” Democrats call that “both-sidesism.” Some journalists call it “balanced reporting.” It’s the practice of giving equal…

Poll Watch

By Gary Pearce | 2024-03-07

High Point University hit a low point in polling. Last Friday, four days before Tuesday’s primary, the HPU poll reported this in the Democratic race for N.C. Attorney General: Satana Deberry 31% Tim Dunn 33% Jeff Jackson 36% The poll was right on the money. About Deberry. She got 33% of the vote.…

Time to Choose

By Gary Pearce | 2024-03-06

After Tuesday’s primaries, the choice is clear for North Carolina and the nation. It’s Democratic reason versus Republican rage. It’s real action on real problems versus revenge and retribution. It’s the difference between President Biden and Donald Trump – and between Josh Stein and Mark Robinson. Democrats want government to attack economic insecurity, ignorance, hunger,…

Young Dems on Fire

By Gary Pearce | 2024-03-04

It took a London newspaper to report this political story: “In a hotel ballroom situated between Raleigh and Durham in North Carolina, a sea of buzzing young liberals excitedly took selfies and exchanged Instagram handles. Wrists decorated with Taylor Swift bracelets hit against one another as baby-faced teens and twentysomethings dressed in business casual applauded…

Jim Hunt, Democrats and Race

By Gary Pearce | 2024-02-25

When Jim Hunt was president of North Carolina Young Democrats in 1968, he said something at a YDC meeting that was deemed newsworthy – and wasn’t popular with all Democrats: “I’m getting tired of going to county, local and even State YDC meetings and looking out at the audience to see far too few black…

An Old Problem

By Carter Wrenn | 2024-02-23

Years ago sitting in a Republican convention I stared at a stranger standing at a microphone – I had no idea who he was but we were on opposite sides and when he finished speaking I had no doubt he’d handed us a problem. Back then Bob Orr was what I called a Mountain Republican.…

Clouds on the Horizon

By Carter Wrenn | 2024-02-21

In a small Virginia church at the end of the Roaring Twenties my grandfather married my grandmother – a month later the Stock Market crashed. During the Great Depression he struggled for a decade. Hitler marched into Austria and Czechoslovakia, German tanks rolled over Poland, Belgium, France, British soldiers fled Dunkirk. Staring at storm clouds…

Hunt, Helms and MLK

By Gary Pearce | 2024-01-20

I was struck last week by Republican politicians posting tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., even as they fight everything he stood, marched and died for. Forty years ago, in 1984, the King holiday was a big issue in the Senate race between Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt. Helms opposed the holiday. He filibustered…