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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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 sources of news are (Question 51 – see more below). They said: 29% Online news websites 26% TV (broadcast or network) 20% Social media Sad to say, only 5% said their primary sources are once-mighty newspapers like The News…

MAGA-gator

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2026

Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote at PoliticsNC that, “In January 2011, State Senator Phil Berger and then-State Representative Thom Tillis entered the North Carolina political stage at the same time. As Republicans took control of the legislature for the first time in more than…

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 enough?” The same slogan is enough for Democrats in 2026. “Had enough” of Trump’s chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence? “Had enough” of his lying? And, now, “had enough” of war and rising prices? A columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer,…

Faith in Politics

By Gary Pearce March 10, 2026

Jim Hunt would like James Talarico winning the Democratic primary in Texas. Like Talarico, the late Governor was a man of deep faith. He was a churchgoer all his life. He and Carolyn Hunt were at Wilson’s First Presbyterian Church nearly every Sunday. They sang in the choir. When the Governor started his Smart Start…

Stein’s Clout

By Gary Pearce March 6, 2026

Governor Josh Stein had a good day Tuesday, and there’s good news for him in our statewide poll. (See more about the poll below.) He gets positive ratings. And voters trust him more than they do the Republican General Assembly. Stein and former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper are the only two of more than a…

Too Long

By Gary Pearce March 5, 2026

 “For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade…. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.” – General George Patton. Like Liston Ramsey and Marc Basnight before him, Phil Berger…

2 Votes!

By Gary Pearce March 4, 2026

Because of just 2 votes, North Carolina politics will be consumed – and the General Assembly will be paralyzed – by recounts and court battles over the Phil Berger-Sam Page election. This could take even longer than the six months it took to settle the 2024 state Supreme Court race between Jefferson Griffin and Justice…

Why is Cooper Up by 10?

By Gary Pearce February 27, 2026

As Paige Masten wrote in The Charlotte Observer, our statewide poll showed Roy Cooper twice as far ahead in the U.S. Senate race as did another recent poll. She noted, “In the latest poll, conducted by Change Research, Cooper leads Michael Whatley, the likely Republican nominee, by 50% to 40%. A poll released last month…

Obama 48-Trump 41

By Gary Pearce February 26, 2026

Donald Trump’s head might explode if he sees this. When we drafted our poll, the four of us wondered what would happen in North Carolina if Trump got his wish and could run for a third term in 2028 – and if Barack Obama ran too. So, we asked this question (Q 20): “If the…

John Edwards: Back in the Soup

By Carter Wrenn April 25, 2007

As he runs for President, John Edwards is undergoing a level of scrutiny he’s never experienced…

Come Home, Roy

By Gary Pearce April 25, 2007

After AG Roy Cooper’s announcement in the Duke case, I praised his performance – both here…

How Goes the War?

By Gary Pearce April 24, 2007

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States is not losing in Iraq. In that case,…