We speak with Jim Burton, owner of Burton Research and Strategies and former N.C. House caucus director, about how candidates can effectively communicate on important issues, how 2018 messaging will differ from 2016, and how candidates can break out of the generic partisan mold.

We speak with Brent Woodcox, special counsel to the North Carolina General Assembly, about how things are done differently under Republican control, whether the court system is unusually prominent in today's political landscape, and how #ncpol Twitter can be useful.

We talk with Chad Stachowicz, a Charlotte tech company founder and CEO and the Democratic candidate for N.C. Senate District 39, about why he decided to run for office and what he's hearing as he knocks on doors around the district.

Charlotte was just awarded the 2020 Republican National Convention, but the city is much better known for business than politics. Longleaf Politics publisher Andrew Dunn talks with Charlotte political consultant Lawrence Shaheen about why Charlotte seems to be so inept at politics and how that could change.

Longleaf Politics publisher Andrew Dunn speaks with Matthew Ridenhour, a Republican county commissioner in Mecklenburg County and a two-time delegate to the Republican National Convention, about what it would mean for Charlotte if the city is selected to host the 2020 RNC.

Longleaf Politics publisher Andrew Dunn is joined by Charlotte Republican political consultant Lawrence Shaheen and Democratic campaign manager Tonya Jameson to talk about the 9th Congressional District race, grassroots efforts on the left, and whether education will be the top issue in the 2018 General Assembly elections.