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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Not a Ticket Splitter

By Carter Wrenn October 29, 2014

A pollster will usually ask voters: Would you say you 1) Always vote Democratic, 2) Usually vote Democratic, 3) Always vote Republican, 4) Usually vote Republican or 5) would you say you split your ticket and vote for about as many Republicans as Democrats?   Down at the Editorial Board (not in the news room)…

Mata Hari

By Carter Wrenn October 28, 2014

Eric pointed to the word ‘backlash’ and said, They put a picture of a Black minister, sneering, beneath a headline saying ‘backlash’ then quote the ACLU as saying Black preachers want to punish gay people because of who they love.   A trio of amenable grunts rose from the end of the table then out…

The Next Jonas Salk

By Carter Wrenn October 28, 2014

Kaci Hickox was mad as hops – she’d gotten off the plane in Newark, been hustled straight into quarantine, and three days later she was still in quarantine only by then she’d hired a lawyer to sue Governor Chris Christie. A few days before Ms. Hickox flew from Sierra Leone to Newark, a doctor, who’d…

Irony or Hypocrisy?

By Gary Pearce October 27, 2014

An African-American minister proclaimed that a gay person should not be a judge. He also joined Rep. Skip Stam-and apparently 27 other House Republicans-in proclaiming that magistrates, who are officers of the court, should not have to carry out laws and court decisions they don’t like.   Forty years ago, several magistrates in North Carolina…

Asleep at the Switch

By Carter Wrenn October 27, 2014

As bleak as Governor McCrory’s job approval numbers were in the WRAL poll, that wasn’t the worst news. Consider how Republicans, Democrats and Independents feel about the General Assembly.                                                                                 Republican Voters                                             Approve 35%                                             Disapprove 38%                                               Conservative Voters                                             Approve 33%                                             Disapprove 37%                                               Independent Voters                                             Approve…

Voter App

By Gary Pearce October 24, 2014

The Republican effort to suppress votes at Appalachian State University may have backfired.   More than 700 people voted yesterday at the Student Union polling place that the State Board of Elections tried to shut down. Now we know why the board didn’t want it.   An App student said, “It sends a clear message…

Disapproving of Pat

By Carter Wrenn October 24, 2014

    36% Approve 46% Disapprove   The WRAL Poll painted a bleak picture  of a Governor caught between a rock and a hard place.  As Mark Binker wrote, only a little over a third of the voters approve of the job Governor McCrory is doing.   But worse news lurked beneath the surface.  …

Beneath the Headlines

By Carter Wrenn October 24, 2014

Headline (two weeks ago): Thom Tillis on Life Support. Campaign Dying.    Headline (this week): Tillis Makes Miraculous Recovery. Campaign Surging.   Now, as a storyline, that’s just about unbeatable. It’s like Lazarus rising from the dead.   The problem is two months ago, two weeks ago, and today (in WRAL’s latest poll), Thom Tillis…

An Empty Chair

By Carter Wrenn October 23, 2014

I watched the ‘empty chair’ debate too (see Gary’s blog below).   And it brought back old memories. Of old foibles.             Years ago, in 1980, when John East ran against Robert Morgan he challenged Senator Morgan to a debate. And challenged Morgan to debate. And challenged Morgan to debate.   And Morgan said No,…

Another School Study? Yes.

By Gary Pearce March 19, 2026

Some progressives groaned when Governor Josh Stein announced a bipartisan “Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education”…

Independents Turn Against GOP

By Gary Pearce March 17, 2026

North Carolina voters don’t like either the Democratic or Republican parties. But Independent voters – who…

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…