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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Another Senate Whiff for NC Democrats

By Gary Pearce December 1, 2022

Once again, Lucy (North Carolina voters) pulled the football (a Senate seat) away from Charlie Brown (Democrats). In the 50 years since 1972 – when the two-party era began in North Carolina and Jesse Helms won the first of five Senate elections – there have been 18 Senate elections. Democrats have won four and lost…

National Relief, But NC Disappointment

By Gary Pearce November 20, 2022

The election left me feeling better about our country than I have for six years. But worse about North Carolina. 2022 showed that Americans are tired of the Trump Show, which has been running nonstop at full volume for seven and a half years since he rode down the golden escalator on June 16, 2015.…

The “Red Wave” Never Came Ashore

By Gary Pearce November 10, 2022

There was no “red tsunami,” no wave. Barely a ripple. Before the 2022 election, Republicans boasted they would deliver a 1994- or 2010-like shellacking to a Democratic President. Inflation was up. President Biden’s approval ratings were down. Voters were down on the economy and down about the direction of the country. But Biden had the…

Recovering from Defeat

By Carter Wrenn October 18, 2021

The day Al Qaeda murdered American soldiers outside Kabul airport young Congressman Madison Cawthorn tweeted a video showing him waving a letter to Kamala Harris; square-jawed, square-shouldered, voice indignant, mimicking Trump, Cawthorn demanded Harris defrock Biden by using the 25th Amendment – to prove his point he intoned (what he called) “eternal, weighty, and wise”…

No Sin in Losing

By Carter Wrenn October 13, 2021

Boasting for months Trump said his Arizona audit – done by his allies in the state Senate – would prove he won Arizona. The audit backfired. Confirmed Trump lost. Did Trump admit he was wrong? No. He erupted, firing off scalding emails ripping the ‘fake news’ media, calling for audits in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Texas.…

The Senate Primary

By Carter Wrenn October 11, 2021

83% of voters – in a poll – said Taliban is a terrorist group and said Trump shouldn’t have negotiated with Taliban. To elect Ted Budd, in an ad Trump says Budd’s always supported him – here’s a question Budd is bound to be asked: Do you think Taliban’s a terrorist group? Was Trump wrong…

Fingers of Blame

By Carter Wrenn October 8, 2021

The Taliban is a terrorist group. Trump made a deal with Taliban to withdraw our soldiers from Afghanistan. It didn’t work out. Taliban took over. Trump roared it was Joe Biden’s fault. Biden, pointing fingers, shot back Trump signed the agreement with Taliban. It was Trump’s fault. Neither ever admitted he made a single mistake.…

A Political Earthquake Rocks Biden and Trump

By Carter Wrenn October 6, 2021

John Bolton and I both supported Reagan in 1976; four years later when Reagan’s campaign emerged from the New Hampshire primary dead-broke John told me: The Congressional Club needs to do an independent campaign for Reagan. Puzzled, I asked: What’s an independent campaign? Americans for Reagan spent millions to help elect Reagan. Last February as…

Handing an Enemy a Gift

By Carter Wrenn October 5, 2021

If you’d asked me, Leave Afghanistan? a year ago I’d have nodded, said, Yes. We had tanks, jets, helicopters, drones – and Taliban didn’t – but we botched the war. But it turns out escape was an illusion. It’s an old story. We fight an enemy. We hand our enemy a gift. And the chickens…

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…