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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Cooper’s fight echoes Terry Sanford’s

By Gary Pearce June 4, 2019

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,…

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Two Polls and Thom Tillis

By Carter Wrenn May 28, 2019

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…

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The Disloyal Democrat

By Gary Pearce May 8, 2019

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,…

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They Hate Teachers Too

By Gary Pearce May 6, 2019

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…

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The War on Public Schools

By Gary Pearce May 2, 2019

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…

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Fire first, facts last

By Gary Pearce April 24, 2019

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…

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Victories for the Swamp

By Carter Wrenn April 22, 2019

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…

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The Earth Shifted

By Carter Wrenn April 18, 2019

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…

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The Perils of Purity

By Gary Pearce April 18, 2019

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…

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Recessional

By Carter Wrenn November 11, 2024

The tumult and the shouting dies; The Captains and the Kings depart: Still stands Thine ancient…

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Mistakes and Miss-Takes

By Gary Pearce November 10, 2024

Bert Bennett of Winston-Salem, the legendary political godfather to Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt, had a…

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Don’t Give Up

By Gary Pearce November 6, 2024

This is bad. Bad for America and for the world. Bad for women, for immigrants, for…

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