Lawmakers in North Carolina have long loved to (politically) party with the gerrymander. And both major parties are guilty of twisting districts to help keep themselves in power. With the latest rounds of court ordered redistricting officially now underway, we dig into what the new maps may look like. And Candidate ME talks with Democratic State Senator Jeff Jackson about how he hopes to use the maps to break Republican supermajorities at the General Assembly.

Yes, this podcast could have stopped with episode 10. Instead we channeled our inner Spinal Tap and made this one "go to 11."

Notice something different with our logo? With the election now just days away Candidate ME has become Candidate THEM, a modern twist on that election season classic - the voter guide.

Updated Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, 11:24 a.m. This election season, political reporter Tom Bullock has been busy covering the race for Charlotte mayor and council through his Candidate ME podcast. This week, there’s more of that - he goes outside the city. Tom spoke to WFAE’s David Boraks about races for mayor and town board surrounding Charlotte. David says that concerns over growth are a consistent theme.

With Election Day less than two weeks away and early votes already being cast, Candidate ME shifts into high gear. In this episode we introduce something new, real candidates call in to answer a mad lib and two important questions in order to sway your vote. And Host Tom Bullock unleashes positive and negative Candidate ME ads unto the world.

It's fall. Halloween is just around the corner and the November election is not far behind. It therefore seems fitting for Candidate ME to delve into one of the true dark arts of campaigns, political advertising.

Yes, Candidate ME was scheduled to be on a break. But then Tuesday, September 12 rolled around, the mayor was voted out, other incumbents were defeated and the Charlotte City Council changed in significant ways.

Tuesday, September 12, is a make or break day for candidates. It's primary day after all, the day the candidate herd is culled. What is that day like for political consultants and candidates who have to simply wait for results?

We're back with a full length episode. And since Tom can't be picked for jury duty for another two years, we'll remain back for the foreseeable future.

Yes, my jury duty is over. But uncertainty over just when it would end (and the sun's sudden brief disappearance) meant I had to push back some key interviews to late in the week. Which left me with too little time to finish up a full podcast this week. But rest assured – we will be back with a full episode next week. And it's a doozy.