Democrats who listen to this episode are going to hear a lot of things they like. If you're a registered Democrat in Congressional District NC 14 — which includes the southeastern half of Polk County — then sit back and get ready for a straight shot of optimism. Just know that you won’t be able to apply what you hear to the March 3 primary vote, because my guest is not running as a Democrat. 

Instead, Kate Barr’s name will appear on the Republican ballot. How does that makes sense? It does if you think gerrymandering lies at the of what ails America. It also might appeal to more than a few unaffiliated voters who aren't exactly thrilled with where the GOP has led us.

Resources

• Kate Barr Can Win campaign website:
• Polk GOP Statement disavowing Kate Barr's candidacy
  

State Trooper Keith Henderson may be an exception to the rule that police officers are more comfortable asking questions than answering them. He still chooses his words carefully, though. Which is probably a good thing for someone seeking the office of county sheriff.

Compare and contrast this interview with those I conducted with Saluda Police Chief Clayton Price and former police officer Neenan Nesbitt.

Resources

Keith Henderson for Sheriff

The primary ballot in this year’s elections includes three Republicans who want to be sheriff. The incumbent, Tim Wright, is facing two challengers. For this episode, I sat down with the Clayton Price, who is currently the chief of police in Saluda. We talked at the Saluda Library on February seventeenth. 

Given the threat posed by a 1,000 cases of measles on our doorstep, I wanted to find out how our county’s health department was responding to both the change in public attitudes and the outbreak itself. After all, measles was supposedly eradicated from the US a quarter=century ago.

Natalie Trachsel, who is the current health director for the county, and Elizabeth Burnett, a nurse with the health department, agreed that it would be a good idea to share what they’ve been doing, and what everyone else in the county should be doing, too.

Resources

• Polk County Communicable Disease Updates
  
• 
  NC Division of Public Health Measles Dashboard
  
• Check your immunity quiz
  
• Enabling Vaccine Uptake: Strategies for the Public Health Sector (British Journal of Hospital Medicine)
• Exposure locations
  
• Immune amnesia
  
• Helps protect against other diseases:
  

I haven't conducted any polling, but I am willing to bet that the world view of my guest for this episode, soldier turned strategic consultant Adam Smith, is shared by many thousands of registered Republicans. 

I have no doubt that is true for most of North Carolina Congressional District 11. So I tried not to make this an ideological debate. Just an exploration of why one candidate for this seat has concluded that the incumbent, Chuck Edwards, isn’t doing the job that a conservative Republican should be doing.

Resources:

• Adam Smith For Congress
• 
  "Gay frog" research (Duke University Press)
• Alleged porn in Jackson County
• How much is Bernie Sanders really worth?

According to the North Carolina Rural Center, 446 houses and 60 rental units were damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene. Sixteen months later, dozens of families are still living in temporary housing, which, as the tail end of January proved, is often not to up to task of providing decent shelter when the good old polar vortex gets shoved a thousand miles south of where it belongs.

Putting people back on their feet, or just under a roof, is not easy. It takes money, of course. But it also takes an understanding of how societies function, and how people think of themselves and their place in the greater community. And a solid understanding of property law and the endless list of regulations that guide government assistance programs goes a long way, too.

Michelle Edwards, the executive director of the Polk Referral Center, has thought on all of that.

Resources

Polk Referral Center website

Winter brings a fight to stay warm for those displaced by Helene and living in RVs (PBR, January 28, 2026)

Road to Recovery: Housing Recovery in Western North Carolina (NC Rural Center, February 2026)

Deadline to Apply for Renew NC Post-Helene Housing Recovery is Jan. 31 (NC Dept. of Commerce, Jan. 30, 2026)

Keenan Nesbitt has worked for two different police departments in our region. When asked to describe his relevant qualities, he came up with "young, aspirational, and fearless." His vision of a sheriff’s department is one the fosters a community of love, respect, and trust. 

In this episode, we talk about why he thinks Polk County’s current sheriff isn’t doing enough to bring about that vision, why he’s decided to do the heavy lifting of getting on the ballot as an independent, and what can be done to restore the trust that the public once had in its law enforcement officers.

Resources

Keenan Nesbitt for Sheriff on Facebook

and Instagram

Polk County Elections

UNC cell biologist Paul Maddox is more than a little frustrated with the lack of intelligence in evidence in Washington these days. He’s one of a historic number of scientists running for office this year. Which should tell you something. For this episode, though, he doesn't claim his PhD makes him more qualified than the other Democrats who want the seat he's after: NC 11 of the US House of Representatives.

We don't talk about recent example of stupid behavior in politics. We even avoid any mention of the changes in the recommended vaccination schedules that will almost certainly lead to more unnecessary deaths. Instead, we talk about more fundamental ideas: what do the people of western North Carolina want from their politicians? Are we really ready to abandon respect for science and expertise? And is it still possible to win an election by running on who you are instead of just which party you represent?

I have been thinking about an episode on soccer ever since I started this podcast more than three years ago — and since I became soccer dad and started watching Premier League games from Europe with my son. Recent events conspired in favor of doing one sooner than later. 

My guests are Polk High School boys’ soccer coach George Alley and two of his top players  — seniors Will Garrison and Thomas Varnadore. Their team made it all the way to the state finals this year. Given how popular soccer is becoming — both here and around the country, I was curious about the future of local soccer.

Sources
Polk High School Boys Soccer records

Unlike just about everyone else who is running to unseat an incumbent in 2026, Republican Mike Hager is not a political newcomer, not by a long shot. He served as state representative for District 112 for six years, finishing up as House Majority Leader — until 2016, when he gave up his seat to look after his parents. Back then, his home in Rutherford County was in District 112. Now it’s in 113, along with Polk, Henderson, and little bit of McDowell counties. Hager’s obligations aren’t quite an onerous now, and he wants back in the game. 

Over the past eight years, he’s kept a hand in politics, working behind the scenes as what he calls a “State Government Relations Specialist.” He’s on the local Habitat for Humanity board and is a member of the Greenhill Volunteer Fire Department.

And he thinks his opponent, Jake Johnson, who is literally half his age, is vulnerable.  This could be the race to watch during next spring's primaries. We talked at the Saluda Library earlier this month.

Resources

NC State Board of Elections Results

Cody Henson resigns

Jake Johnson to run again

Mike Hager campaign