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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Rare Courage

By Carter Wrenn January 23, 2023

Every election for years I heard Tom Ellis tell politicians, Put principle above politics – to do what’s right, don’t worry about getting elected. Those days are past. After reading an Elon Musk tweet Trump, on a tear, said election fraud justified ‘termination of the Constitution.’ He lost under the constitution – so throw out…

Beth Wood’s Crash

By Gary Pearce January 22, 2023

State Auditor Beth Wood obviously made a mistake when she crashed her state car onto another car in downtown Raleigh the evening of Dec. 8. She made another mistake when she left the scene without reporting the crash to the owner or police. Another mistake when she didn’t fess up, in full, the next day.…

Thanks, Joe

By Gary Pearce January 20, 2023

Three years ago this month, they said Joe Biden was too old and too out of touch to be elected President. Then he won South Carolina, swept the nomination and whipped Trump. Two years ago today, when he was inaugurated, they said he couldn’t get anything done with a 50-50 Senate and a thin House…

Gridlock

By Carter Wrenn January 20, 2023

Gridlock’s back. And it’s not as awful as it sounds on CNN or Fox. Joe Biden can’t whip Republicans and Republicans can’t whip Biden – so steps in the right direction are going to die in their tracks but steps down the wrong road will too and when the threat you face is Washington politicians…

A Lethal Tool that Backfired

By Carter Wrenn January 19, 2023

Years ago when Jim Hunt was thrashing Jesse Helms in his Senate race, Arthur Finkelstein dropped a poll on the table, lifted both hands in the air in front of him, palms open. “There’re two kinds of elections.” He waved one palm: “There’re issue elections.” He waved the other open palm: “And character elections. This…

Josh Stein’s Fighting Start

By Gary Pearce January 18, 2023

Josh Stein’s announcement signals a different kind of Democratic campaign for Governor: an aggressive fight over values. Values usually are Republican turf, but Stein seized that ground. From the get-go, he defines his likely opponent, Mark Robinson, as having the wrong values for North Carolina today. Stein’s start promises Democrats the kind of tough, inspiring…

Axis Sally

By Carter Wrenn January 18, 2023

Axis Sally a Broadway showgirl with a sultry voice starred on Nazi radio during World War II, purring to lonely GI’s (who hadn’t seen their wives in years): ‘Remember the guy with the flashy convertible who had eyes for your wife…last week he moved in with her.’ That was propaganda back in the 1940’s –…

It Wouldn’t Be the First Time…

By Carter Wrenn January 17, 2023

Last fall on Sunday before election day political ads ran back-to-back on TV – one snarled, Cheri Beasley’s for rapists, another snapped, Ted Budd hates democracy, ads rolled on and on but with one odd twist: Full of razzmatazz, dark voices, snarls, growls, they all looked, sounded, alike. Like they’d been made by the same…

Republicans Will Overreach … Again

By Gary Pearce January 17, 2023

Two issues that pundits pooh-poohed – abortion and the threat to democracy – helped President Biden post the best mid-term in 2022 since FDR in 1934. Both issues rose from Republican overreach: the Supreme Court ruling on abortion and the Trump-MAGA attack on legal elections and the Capitol. Have no doubt. Kevin McCarthy’s House Republicans…

Obama 48-Trump 39

By Gary Pearce April 26, 2026

A new nationwide poll shows that, if they could run against each other in 2028, Barack…

“Conservative Successes”?

By Gary Pearce April 23, 2026

Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…

Rise and Fall

By Gary Pearce April 21, 2026

A reassuring lesson from our trip to Germany and Czechia is that dictators, despots and tyrants…