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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Red State Blues

By Gary Pearce November 12, 2012

Why was North Carolina a bright spot in an otherwise dark day for Republicans nationally?   Were my Republican consultant friends – Carter, Luther Snyder, Tom Fetzer, Paul Shumaker and Jack Hawke – that much smarter than their colleagues across the country?   Or was it just a weird confluence of circumstances: a governor’s race…

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Clarifying Mysteries

By Carter Wrenn November 9, 2012

Back in the enlightened 1970’s when I was in college the powers-that-be at UNC gave me a hard choice: They told me I could take either a foreign language or math, but I had to learn one or the other. It was a choice between two poisons. I took foreign language and promptly failed French,…

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Bad Start, Pat

By Gary Pearce November 9, 2012

Yesterday I wrote nice things about Governor-elect McCrory. But his entrance onto the Raleigh stage this week wasn’t a good one.   Look at it this way: McCrory has a strong brand in North Carolina right now. He just won big. He gets the benefit of the winner’s glow. He should milk that political capital.…

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Why Democrats Lost in North Carolina

By Carter Wrenn November 9, 2012

Democrats lived through about their worst election ever Tuesday night: Republicans whipped them in the races for Governor, Lt. Governor, elected three new Congressmen and gained seats in the State House and Senate – so how, post election, are Democratic pundits explaining their world falling apart? Here’s what they’re saying:   ‘That darn Art Pope…

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Congrats, Pat

By Gary Pearce November 8, 2012

Pat McCrory may not like this, but he reminds me a bit of Jim Hunt. His speech Tuesday night talked about North Carolina’s reaching and exceeding “their full potential.” Since then he has talked about reaching out to Republicans and Democrats. During the campaign he boasted about working across party lines in Charlotte. He even…

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Divided We Stand

By Gary Pearce November 7, 2012

On the day after, we’re as split emotionally as we are politically.   Democrats celebrate President Obama’s historic reelection. America has now twice elected a black man to the highest office. His win validates his policies: the stimulus, auto bailout and financial reform. Health care reform will survive. He will fill Supreme Court vacancies. He…

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Humorless

By Carter Wrenn November 6, 2012

Albert, arguing, said, You’re wrong. Folks don’t care if politicians lie and steal – they expect them to do that. What’s more, they’ll vote for a crook who can fix the potholes in their street over a bungling saint every time.   I chalked that up to an otherwise garrulous man’s streak of skepticism but…

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The Redskins Rule

By Carter Wrenn November 6, 2012

I woke up yesterday feeling Romney would win but after a dozen calls from people asking about polls in Ohio (not one of which shows Romney leading) I went to bed thinking, Every single poll can’t be wrong.   This morning, at the crack of dawn, I got Dick Morris’ predictions saying all the polls…

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If Obama Wins…

By Gary Pearce November 6, 2012

The baffling question is how Mitt Romney lost. If ever this was a challenger’s race to win, this was it.   The economy is bad. Obama is an activist in an anti-government age. He has never done a good job of selling his record. He was not a great candidate this year. He bombed in the…

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Spinning Tales

By Carter Wrenn March 3, 2025

Trump growled Zelensky started the Ukraine war. John Bolton said Trump was wrong. Angry, my friend…

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Vanished

By Gary Pearce March 3, 2025

Ronald Reagan stood at the Berlin Wall and stood up to what he called the “Evil…

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Anything Goes…

By Carter Wrenn February 26, 2025

Back when Rod Blagojevich ran for governor of Illinois, Obama endorsed him and Trump gave his…

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