On the political calendar this new year are mid-term elections, a short legislative session, and - already underway - a trial that will rule on whether new districts are constitutional. Dawn Vaughan of the News & Observer and WUNC Politics reporter Rusty Jacobs join this episode to preview 2022.

A major trial underway as 2022 politics begins

The WUNCPolitics Podcast is a free-flowing discussion of what we're hearing in the back hallways of the General Assembly and on the campaign trail across North Carolina.

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Members of the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina recently visited the state legislature to push for a House bill that would grant them formal state recognition as an American Indian tribe. They've been fighting for the benefits provided to other tribes for decades, and the history of conflict stretches back centuries to the 1700s war between Tuscarora ancestors and British colonists. House Speaker Tim Moore says the recognition bill is unlikely to move forward, in part due to opposition from the Lumbee Tribe, the Tuscarora Nation's neighbors in Robeson County. To learn more about the Tuscarora Indians and their push for state recognition, WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with Rahnàwakęw Donnie McDowell, the Tuscaroras' public relations officer.

The Tuscarora Nation's long struggle for recognition in NC

Polls will once again open all across North Carolina on Tuesday, May 14. But with mostly down-ballot races on the ballot, will Republican primaries be decided by a tiny number of voters? Political scientist Chris Cooper of Western Carolina University shares some turnout trends and other dynamics for North Carolina’s rare runoff primaries with WUNC's Colin Campbell. And we hear from the two Republican candidates for state auditor, Jack Clark and Dave Boliek, who offer contrasting backgrounds and visions for an important state government watchdog role.

State auditor candidates face off in rare statewide runoff election

State lawmakers are back in Raleigh to begin what’s known as the short session – several months in which they’ll make adjustments to the state budget for the upcoming year and consider a variety of other legislation that didn’t make it across the finish line in the 2023 long session. One of the biggest partisan battles is likely to be over education funding: How much of the state's projected revenue surplus will go to public schools, and how much will address high demand for private school vouchers? Will the state address the funding cliff that childcare centers are experiencing as federal pandemic money expires?To sort through the issues facing lawmakers, WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with Sen. Gale Adcock, D-Wake. Adcock, a longtime nurse practitioner, also discusses the state's healthcare policy needs in the months following the expansion of the Medicaid program.

Previewing the 2024 legislative session with Sen. Gale Adcock

Rodney Pierce, a middle school social studies teacher from Roanoke Rapids, narrowly defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Michael Wray in last month's Democratic primary. He campaigned with what he describes as an effort to "educate" voters about Wray's record in the N.C. House of voting with Republicans. Because no Republicans filed for the seat, Pierce will represent majority Black Warren, Halifax and Northampton counties in the legislature next year. Pierce spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about his goals to address economic development in an area he calls North Carolina's "Neglected Northeast," as well as how he mounted a successful primary campaign. He also discussed the challenges rural schools are facing and how his candidacy became a civics lesson for his students.

Social studies teacher from 'the Neglected Northeast' wins NC House seat

Wyatt Gable, a 21-year-old student at East Carolina University, unseated 10-term Republican Rep. George Cleveland of Jacksonville, who’s in his 80s and is one of the oldest members of the state House. Gable will face Democrat Carmen Spicer in November, but House District 14 leans heavily conservative and he’s likely to become the youngest member of the state legislature next year. Gable spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about how he won a surprise victory in the primary and how to get more young people involved in politics. He also explained the issues he wants to prioritize. He wants North Carolina’s education system to better prepare young people for a tough economy, and he wants to see stronger oversight of major road projects.

A major trial underway as 2022 politics begins

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