Carter is a Republican. Gary is a Democrat.

They met in 1984, during the epic U.S. Senate battle between Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt. Carter worked for Helms and Gary, for Hunt.

Years later, they became friends. They even worked together on some nonpolitical clients.

They enjoy talking about politics. So they started this blog in 2005.

They’re still talking. And they invite you to join the conversation.

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Carter Wrenn

Gary Pearce 2024

Gary Pearce

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Two North Carolinas. One message?

By Gary Pearce February 1, 2018

Governor Cooper may be doing something few politicians can or want to do: talk to both sides of a divided state. This week the Governor, who won thanks largely to urban voters, announced a jobs initiative for rural counties. Last week, he spoke on the same day at two events symbolizing the two North Carolinas.…

Trump’s Speech

By Carter Wrenn January 31, 2018

He couldn’t help doing a bit of boasting and making a slip here and there but in his speech Trump talked about ‘faith and family’ and ‘in God we trust’ and the dignity of ‘hard work’ – then introduced a man from North Korea who crossed China and Southeast Asia on crutches to be free…

E Pluribus Uniom?

By Gary Pearce January 30, 2018

You’ll need to tell me tomorrow if Trump was “presidential.” I’m not ruining an evening watching him. Surely there’s a quality basketball game on ESPN. Apparently, “presidential” means “reading a Teleprompter without drooling, attacking somebody or grabbing a porn star.” The real State of the Union (“Uniom?”) question is whether Trump and his zealous Javerts…

Elections have consequences

By Gary Pearce January 29, 2018

After the 2016 elections, a veteran Democrat noted, “If you’re going to win just three statewide races, Governor, Attorney General and Supreme Court are the three to win.” Indeed. Thanks to Mike Morgan’s victory in the Supreme Court race, the Court last week ruled 4-3 along party lines for Governor Cooper against the legislature’s cockamamie…

What Makes a Wave Election?

By Carter Wrenn January 29, 2018

What creates a wave election? Two things. Here’s one: In 1988, 1990 and 1992 Congressman David Price, a popular Democratic incumbent in a Democratic district, received over 100,000 votes in each election and won easily. Then, in 1994, a wave election came along that favored Republicans. Democrats didn’t vote and David Price received 76,000 votes…

All politics is Trump

By Gary Pearce January 26, 2018

All politics is local, Tip O’Neill used to say. No more. All politics has become national in the last 20, 25 years. Today, all politics is Trump. Trump so dominates the political conversation there’s not enough air to sustain any other topic. His tweets, his unpredictability and his sheer outrageousness overwhelm everything. If Democratic pollsters…

China’s 3500 Year History

By Carter Wrenn January 24, 2018

The President slipped four more times in an interview with the New York Times –  he said: 1) Virtually every Democrat has said there is no collusion. 2) I brought (Luther) Strange up 20 points. 3) I know the details of taxes better than anybody. Better than the greatest C.P.A. 4) ‘President Xi… treated me…

Car deals

By Gary Pearce January 24, 2018

North Carolina offered $1.5 billion, but still couldn’t land Toyota-Mazda. It’s not the first time Alabama beat us on a car deal. Twenty-five years ago, in 1993, Governor Hunt was just beginning his third term. Mercedes-Benz was looking to build a new manufacturing plant in the Southeast. And Hunt was in hot pursuit. The Governor…

‘I would NEVER…’

By Carter Wrenn January 23, 2018

President Trump’s single most popular tweet in 2017 (according to ABC News) was: Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me “old” when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’ So did Donald Trump, who’s not known for his subtlety, just make a back-handed insult? Or did he just do what he said…

Getting the News

By Gary Pearce March 13, 2026

How do you get your news? Our statewide poll asked North Carolina voters what their primary…

MAGA-gator

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2026

Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote…

Enough is Enough

By Gary Pearce March 11, 2026

Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, Republicans took control of Congress with a simple message: “Had…