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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The Undecided Voters

By Carter Wrenn September 6, 2018

Let’s look at the Undecided Voters who’ll decide George Holding’s election against Linda Coleman. Fifteen percent of the voters are undecided. They’re Republicans 40%, Democrats 22%, and Independents 38%. When asked whether they would vote for a Republican candidate or a Democratic candidate for Congress (the Generic Ballot question), 48% vote Republican, 28% vote Democrat…

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Picture of Coleman, Picture of Holding

By Carter Wrenn August 31, 2018

Linda Coleman isn’t well known – her Favorable is 18% and her Unfavorable is 16%. Some Democrats know and like her but most voters don’t know who she is or where she stands on the issues they care about. In June and July, when George Holding ran ads comparing his stand for workfare and for…

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Two Super PACs: A Negative Ad and a Positive Ad

By Carter Wrenn August 31, 2018

In a fallen world the ‘negative’ (the bad thing) has great power, especially in an election where voters are choosing between two candidates they dislike. For example, six years ago, President Obama didn’t win by running ads praising Obama’s accomplishments – he defeated Romney by telling voters Romney was ‘an out-of-touch billionaire.’ And remember ‘Crooked…

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Three Kinds of Elections

By Carter Wrenn August 30, 2018

Well, today, I’m back to writing about George Holding’s election – which now may or may not be in November and, may or may not be in a new district. I guess we may know sometime next week. All that said, assuming wiser (legal) heads prevail and George Holding will be running in the current…

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A Bombshell

By Carter Wrenn August 29, 2018

Yesterday, I was going to write about the election but, then, Federal Judge James Wynn dropped a bombshell – by ruling the current Congressional Districts are unconstitutional. The districts, he said, are a ‘partisan gerrymander.’ And have to be redrawn. Campaigns, in a way, are simple – they have one over-arching goal: To talk with…

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Legislative wrecking crew

By Gary Pearce August 29, 2018

There’s nothing this legislature can’t screw up. The Constitution, redistricting, congressional elections, judicial elections – and that’s just this week. A TAPster noted, “If you had to return to your auto mechanic to correct his screwups as often as our legislators return to fix theirs, you’d get a new mechanic.” Congressional elections are in chaos,…

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McCready and McCain

By Gary Pearce August 28, 2018

Listening to Dan McCready got me thinking about John McCain. Right after I posted yesterday’s blog, McCain and Trump, I went to a lunch for McCready. He’s running for Congress in the 9th District. When you hear 9th District, you probably think Charlotte. But the district stretches east to Robeson and Bladen counties. McCready had…

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Blue Moon Elections: Who Votes

By Carter Wrenn August 27, 2018

Two years ago, just before the election, when early voting started, a surprising trend appeared out of thin air. Fewer African-American Democrats were voting than had voted in the 2012 Presidential election. And the impact was profound. Before the 2016 election polls showed Richard Burr running even with, or a couple points ahead of, Democrat…

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McCain and Trump

By Gary Pearce August 27, 2018

Both were part of the Vietnam generation. One served; the other didn’t. One was shot down over North Vietnam, imprisoned for over five years and tortured so brutally he couldn’t even comb his hair. The other had five draft deferments and bone spurs. And spends a lot of time combing his hair. One dedicated his…

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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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