Longleaf Podcast

We speak with Michael Bitzer, political science professor at Catawba College, about this year's early voting. Bitzer is doing a phenomenal job breaking down the wealth of data emerging on early voting — which is coming in at levels more similar to presidential contests than the midterm election we're in this year. Topics include the suburban battle lines being drawn and whether Democrats or Republicans can claim the title of most enthusiastic.

Charlotte's City Council is again proposing increasing the length of their terms from two years to four years, saying that they are not able to be effective when they're campaigning so much. We speak with Mecklenburg County commissioner Matthew Ridenhour about whether local government officials really need longer terms.

We speak with Paulina Havelka, a Republican in Mecklenburg County, on her race for District Court judge, how new districts created by the General Assembly this year impact the campaign, and how incorporating judges' partisan affiliation changes the landscape.

We spend this episode with Catherine Whiteford, national committeewoman of the North Carolina Federation of Young Republicans and a candidate for North Carolina House in Wake County. We go deep on how young people are changing the makeup of the party and how conservatives can approach higher education policy.

We speak with Susan Harden, a Democratic candidate for a district seat on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. She's one of a groundswell of first-time female candidates motivated by the 2016 elections to get more involved in public affairs. We chat about how America can help people get past cynicism to be a part of the political system, and how to learn campaigning as you go along.

We talk with two of the leaders of the Innovative School District effort to turn around chronically underperforming schools just a few days after their first school — Southside Ashpole Elementary in Robeson County — welcomed students in the door for the first time under new leadership.

We catch Sen. Jeff Jackson in between campaign stops as he works to help Democrats break the Republican majority in the General Assembly. We talk about the growing discontent among North Carolina voters and the conversations we as a state should be having but aren't.

We unpack the federal court decision that's thrown the 2018 elections into disarray with Professor Michael Bitzer of Catawba College and Republican political consultant Lawrence Shaheen. We talk about what the court is seeking to achieve, what the likely outcome will be and whether this could come back to bite N.C. Democrats.

We go in-depth on the I-77 toll lane contract debate with Sen. Jeff Tarte, a Cornelius Republican and outspoken opponent of the "managed lanes" concept. Even if you're not in the Charlotte area, you'll learn a lot about how the Cooper administration has interacted with the General Assembly.

We speak with Martha Johnson, who created the Indivisible NC affiliate in Southport — called Southport Indivisible - Stepping Forward. We go under the hood of the left-leaning grassroots organization that's seeking greater political participation in 2018 and beyond.