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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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…

Earth to Trump

By Gary Pearce February 25, 2026

The fatal flaw I saw in the first 45 minutes (my limit) of Trump’s State of the Union is that most North Carolinians don’t believe they’re living in a “Golden Age.” Yes, it’s a Golden Age for Trump, his family, the billionaires and the big corporations. Their profits are up, their taxes are down and…

Why Trump is Underwater

By Gary Pearce February 24, 2026

Most North Carolina voters have a negative view of Donald Trump just one year after he returned to the White House. “Despite winning the state narrowly three times, Donald Trump is underwater with a solid majority of voters in North Carolina,” writes Stephen Clermont of Change Research, who conducted our recent statewide poll. (Read more…

Trump Falls, Cooper Leads, Stein is Strong

By Gary Pearce February 23, 2026

We’re all drowning in polls, but still thirsting for reliable data about North Carolina voters this crucial election year. So, four of us (see below) did our own poll – an in-depth online survey of 1,069 North Carolina voters about Trump, the 2026 and 2028 elections, and a broad range of issues. We found: Trump’s…

Terror Politics: The Republicans

By Gary Pearce August 15, 2006

I’m not the only one suspicious of the timing of last week’s airport-terror scare. As Keith…

Picasso or P.T. Barnum?

By Carter Wrenn August 15, 2006

Is the dingus Spanish impresario Jaume Plensa wants to build in the middle of Fayetteville Street…

The N&O’s big boo-boo

By Gary Pearce August 14, 2006

Since I got my first job as a copyboy at The News & Observer 41 years…