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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A Rough Week

By Carter Wrenn November 13, 2025

Sitting in front of the shiny gold filigree on the White House wall, having a rough week after the election, Trump growled Democrats are ‘absolutely crazed.’ Insulting Democrats surprised no one. But it wasn’t the side of Trump folks like either. Setting his jaw, Trump warned Democrats were going to end the filibuster – so…

Last Week’s Election

By Carter Wrenn November 12, 2025

To fit the pieces together let’s look at three voters: Tom’s a Democrat, Dick’s a Republican, Harry’s an Independent – Tom never votes for a Republican; Dick never votes for a Democrat; and every election Harry has to make a choice – but who he chooses wins. Each party has what you could call a…

Human Nature

By Carter Wrenn November 11, 2025

Years ago my grandfather handed me a photograph of a famous Virginia train wreck – today politics reminds me of a train wreck. It’s easy to blame Trump for that. But the blame runs deeper. In  the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament King David lusted after Bathsheba, had her husband sent into battle…

Helping Chiselers

By Carter Wrenn November 10, 2025

Born in China, he moved to Canada, worked at a McDonald’s. Calling himself CZ, he returned to Shanghai, started his own cryptocurrency business. Became a billionaire. He opened Binance U.S., landed in a courtroom – terrorists like Hamas laundered money on his crypto exchange. He paid over $4.3 billion in fines, spent four months in…

A Writer’s Mark

By Gary Pearce November 10, 2025

My wife didn’t say I had to go, but I figured it was smart to go. So, instead of walking our dog in the woods and watching football last Saturday, I went with her to Northampton County for the unveiling of a state historical marker honoring her late aunt, Mebane Holoman Burgwyn. The Burgwyn family…

Democrats’ Victory Roads

By Gary Pearce November 7, 2025

Not only is there a road to Democratic victory, there are roads – plural. For Republicans, there’s only one road: Trump’s way – or the highway. Democrats took many paths to winning Tuesday – from a democratic socialist in New York City (a Muslim) to an ex-Navy officer in New Jersey (a woman) to an…

Bombs in the Caribbean

By Carter Wrenn November 6, 2025

The Defense Department turned into the War Department and now every day we’re bombing boats in the Caribbean – killing, Trump says, terrorists and drug smugglers. Senator Rand Paul asked a straightforward question: Show us proof they’re terrorists. Trump ignored him. Paul added a president can’t just, on his own, order the army to kill…

What Happened Tuesday

By Gary Pearce November 5, 2025

The best overnight analysis I’ve read is by Stephen Clermont, a pollster with Change Research in Washington. I’ve known Stephen since he worked with Harrison Hickman on polls for Governor Jim Hunt in the 1990s. We recently worked together on a poll of rural voters in North Carolina. Here’s his take on Tuesday: Last night…

The Insiders

By Carter Wrenn November 5, 2025

Much alike, both talking in circles, voices flat, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries landed in a fight but not with a Republican – holding rallies Bernie Saunders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez set out to break Washington insiders’ iron grip on the Democratic Party. Fingers crossed Republicans – not Republican voters but the Republicans who go to…

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…

MAGA-gator

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2026

Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote…

Enough is Enough

By Gary Pearce March 11, 2026

Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, Republicans took control of Congress with a simple message: “Had…