Democrat Mo Green and Republican Michele Morrow are the candidates for state superintendent of public instruction – a position that oversees North Carolina’s public schools. Morrow is a former nurse and homeschool teacher who burst onto the statewide scene when she upset the Republican incumbent in the March primary. Controversy over her past and present social media posts have dominated headlines. Green is a former Guilford County Schools superintendent who also led the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

Despite a contentious race, Morrow and Green do have similar views on some issues. Co-host Jeff Tiberii is joined by WUNC’s Colin Campbell and Liz Schlemmer to discuss Morrow and Green's platforms and candidacies.

Then, when national politics dominate the headlines, voters may lose sight of what’s happening closer to home. But Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper says we’d be better off knowing more about North Carolina politics because state politics is “where it happens.” Cooper talks to co-host Jeff Tiberii about his new book Anatomy of a Purple State: A North Carolina Politics Primer.