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.

CarterWrenn200x271

Carter Wrenn

Gary Pearce 2024

Gary Pearce

Archives

Categories

Cooper’s fight echoes Terry Sanford’s

By Gary Pearce 2019-06-04

Governor Roy Cooper has picked the same fight over North Carolina’s future that Terry Sanford picked more than 60 years ago. The issue is the same. Then, powerful people in Raleigh wanted the legislature to pass corporate tax cuts. Sanford said that was wrong. He said North Carolina needed to invest in education. This year,…

Read More

Two Polls and Thom Tillis

By Carter Wrenn 2019-05-28

Back in 1989, not long after John McLaughlin began doing polls, I asked him to poll for Jesse Helms’s campaign. 29 years later I asked John to do a poll to find the answer to one question: Could Garland Tucker defeat Thom Tillis in the Republican Primary for Senate? We found that – with Republican…

Read More

The Disloyal Democrat

By Gary Pearce 2019-05-08

Democrats broke the supermajority. But they can’t keep it broke if their own members break ranks. Last week, Senator Don Davis of Pitt County was the only Democrat who voted with Republicans to override Governor Cooper’s veto of a controversial abortion bill. The override passed, thanks to Davis. Democrats are livid. They say the bill,…

Read More

They Hate Teachers Too

By Gary Pearce 2019-05-06

Last week, I blogged that a lot of Republican politicians “hate public schools.” A reader agreed, but asked: “Why?” Well, it’s not just public schools. They hate teachers too. Before, during and after the teacher rally last week, the politicians and their John Locke-Civitas amen chorus hammered away at what Senator Phil Berger called “the…

Read More

The War on Public Schools

By Gary Pearce 2019-05-02

Teachers came to Raleigh Wednesday to teach politicians about the public schools. But what did the teachers learn about the politicians? They need to learn this: A lot of the politicians hate public schools. They won’t admit it, especially around Election Day. But look at what they do. And who they listen to. They don’t…

Read More

Fire first, facts last

By Gary Pearce 2019-04-24

Civic debate in America has become little more than a fast-draw contest, as demonstrated anew by the runup and the reaction to the Mueller Report’s release. Our motto: Ready, fire, aim. We hardly notice that our real enemy has taken dead aim. And hit his target squarely. The enemy is Vladimir Putin. His target was…

Read More

Victories for the Swamp

By Carter Wrenn 2019-04-22

State Treasurer Dale Folwell got whacked by the Swamp. It turns out the State Employees Health Insurance Fund has been spending $3 billion a year, costs have been going up 7-9% a year, and the fund is billions of dollars in debt – so Folwell decided to cut spending by the state paying hospitals the…

Read More

The Earth Shifted

By Carter Wrenn 2019-04-18

When Mark Harris bowed out of the Republican Primary for Congress in the 9th District Dan Bishop had to make a decision quickly – a State Senator, Bishop had a little name identification in Charlotte but he wasn’t well known in the rest of the District. He decided he’d run but with the election only…

Read More

The Perils of Purity

By Gary Pearce 2019-04-18

One of the hardest things to do in politics is to tune out the loud voices of insiders so you can hear the real voices of real voters. Used to be, the loud voices were hangers-on at headquarters and regulars at rallies and fundraisers. Now they’re on social media, Facebook and Twitter. A report in…

Read More

Trust Flies Out the Window

By Carter Wrenn 2024-04-29

Planned Parenthood’s spending a ton of money – $10 million – to elect pro-abortion candidates in…

Read More

A School Test

By Gary Pearce 2024-04-29

The Republican legislature may not vote for Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s school plan, but North Carolinians…

Read More

Democrats’ Country Inroads

By Gary Pearce 2024-04-25

New data shows that North Carolina Democrats are right to look for votes on country roads…

Read More