North Carolina – Republicans
Mark Robinson’s Slipping
After Mark Robinson announced for governor, he led Josh Stein in polls. Then Stein pulled even. Then Robinson trailed by five. In a poll last week Robinson trailed by fourteen. Some folks say the problem’s Robinson’s stand on abortion. And, yes, that could hurt him. But when Congressman George Holding got attacked by Democrats for…
Read MoreMore Silly Politics
Just before the election in October of 2008, sitting in my office pollster John McLaughlin opened a poll, said Obama was leading John McCain in North Carolina. No Democrat had won a presidential election in North Carolina in decades. No black man had ever won a statewide race for senator or governor. I shook my…
Read MoreRFK Jr. Hurts Trump
Republicans may regret wanting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on North Carolina’s presidential ballot. Kennedy swims in the same swamp as Trump. He’s an anti-vaxxer and a one-man conspiracy machine. He’s a MAGA magnet. The Washington Post reports that polls show Kennedy “is pulling significantly more votes from Trump than Harris.” The Post said: “Since the…
Read MoreMark Robinson Lite
The last thing Josh Stein would need as governor is another Mark Robinson as lieutenant governor. That’s why state Senator Rachel Hunt’s race for lieutenant governor matters. Big time. Hunt’s opponent, Hal Weatherman, is a political lightweight – Mark Robinson Lite. He’s such a lightweight you could call him “Featherman.” He has never held public…
Read MoreTwo Different Worlds
The other day on TV a mother wearing a long white sweater sitting beside her dining room table talked about her son dying of a fentanyl overdose – then said she typically voted Republican but this time ‘Josh Stein is who I want to be governor.’ The same day in a video on Facebook, waving…
Read MoreRobinson Unchanged on Abortion
The News & Observer headline said, “Mark Robinson changes his position on abortion law.” No, he hasn’t. His position is still the same. He believes politicians in Raleigh, not women, should make decisions about pregnancy. In a new ad about his wife’s abortion (photo), Robinson says, “I stand by our current law.” That doesn’t mean…
Read MoreLearning From Mistakes
Raising more money, making stronger ads, Republicans once had an edge over Democrats in elections. But, of course, over time Democrats learned from their mistakes. Kamala Harris just raised $200 million in one week – no Republican’s done that. For years Republicans’ flashy ads full of melodrama worked but voters have now seen so many…
Read MoreThe Ground Beneath Trump’s Feet
Winds change and without warning politics changes: In 1980 Reagan and Carter were running neck and neck ten days before the election – winds changed, Reagan won 44 states. Sitting in my office ten years later during Jesse Helms’ Senate campaign our pollster pointed to one question in his poll: 80% of the voters disagreed…
Read MoreDodging Won’t Work
No one saw it coming: Running for governor, neck and neck with Josh Stein, Mark Robinson just got upended. Robinson’s family business – Balanced Nutrition – is paid by the state to provide meals for needy children in day care centers. Robinson’s wife, who runs the company, makes $160,000 in salary. Robinson, his son, daughter,…
Read MoreRoy Put NC First
Like President Biden, Governor Roy Cooper put party and duty ahead of personal political ambition. The President did it when he stepped aside for Vice President Kamala Harris. The Governor did it when he stepped away from VP consideration. This is key from his statement: “This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and…
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