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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One Question

By Carter Wrenn September 5, 2017

Listening to him as he stood on the floor of the State Senate speaking, I wondered whether he believed what he was saying or whether he’d simply decided to spin a tale. He sounded like a history professor giving a lecture, talking about the new Senate maps, explaining meticulously why those maps were not a…

Gerrymandering games

By Gary Pearce August 31, 2017

How bad are the new Republican legislative maps? An analysis by the Campaign Legal Center says Republicans would give themselves a “large and durable” advantage in the districts” “Assuming a statewide uniform swing in the vote, in order for there to be a Republican majority in the House, Republicans will only need a statewide vote…

Stormy politics

By Gary Pearce August 30, 2017

When winds howl and waters rise, political careers can soar – or sink. And elections can turn upside down. The fall of George W. Bush began the day in 2005 when he flew over Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, looking distant and detached. He never recovered. Nor did New Orleans. On the other hand, even a scoundrel…

It Wasn’t Always This Way

By Carter Wrenn August 28, 2017

The one thing you prayed for and lusted after in a political campaign in the old days was to catch your opponent in a lie – because a lie (caught on videotape) was as close to sure death as there was in politics. Back in 1984 I thought we had a pretty good chance of…

Clicking the N&O continued…

By Gary Pearce August 26, 2017

My post Clicking The N&O got as many likes, clicks and comments as anything lately. As I understand today’s journalism, that means do another post on it. Here we go. One TAP reader was struck by John Drescher’s explanation of Barry Saunders’ departure. John wrote: “We’ve let go of some features that had a limited…

Quick hits

By Gary Pearce August 25, 2017

So much is happening so fast. So let’s fire away at several juicy targets – er, topics. Trumped Just when you think he can’t get worse, he does. His 77-minute tirade in Phoenix was True Trump. The estimable Economist pegged him for who and what he is: “politically inept, morally barren and temperamentally unfit for…

General Lee’s Statue

By Carter Wrenn August 25, 2017

A plump boy wearing a hand-made Confederate soldier’s uniform stood by himself alone at the foot of a statue of General Lee, standing straight at attention like a guard – surrounded by protestors waving their fists, index fingers raised, in his face. Immobile, expressionless, without making a sound, his lip quivered and leaning towards him…

Bob Havely

By Gary Pearce August 24, 2017

Bob Havely, who died August 9 at age 65, was a Jim Hunt alumnus, a multi-faceted political and public affairs consultant, and a good friend to many of us. Bob was the rare player who could hit from both sides of the plate: He could do both policy and politics. He was issues director for…

Clean Hands

By Carter Wrenn August 24, 2017

The General Assembly is redrawing State House and Senate Districts and it’s like the circus came back in town: Six years ago, last time they drew districts, Republican legislators used ‘race’ as one criteria and Democrats sued them. This time Republican legislators said they wouldn’t even look at or go near ‘race’ and the Democrats…

We’re Moving to Substack

By Gary Pearce May 28, 2026

Carter Wrenn and I are moving to Substack. That’s where you’ll find our blogs in the…

Political Shots Fired

By Gary Pearce April 28, 2026

The political sniping began even as chaos still reigned at the White House Correspondents Dinner. My…

Obama 48-Trump 39

By Gary Pearce April 26, 2026

A new nationwide poll shows that, if they could run against each other in 2028, Barack…