WUNC Politics

"Women are underrepresented at every level of North Carolina politics": that’s the eye-catching title of a chapter in a new book called "Anatomy of a Purple State: A North Carolina Politics Primer." The book’s author, Chris Cooper, professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University, has compiled statistics around the issue. Only 30% of next year's state legislators are female. Cooper joins WUNC's Colin Campbell to talk about the numbers along with Rep. Lindsey Prather of Buncombe County, who shares her experience in the legislature.

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The election results are in, and while a few races here in North Carolina are still too close to call, we’re popping into your podcast feed to share post-election analysis from WUNC’s Due South. Colin Campbell joined some other journalists and political scientists in the studio to parse through what the results mean for our state. Co-hosts Jeff Tiberii and Leoneda Inge delve into the races for governor, attorney general and beyond along with our purple state’s role in the outcome of the presidential election.

For the final installment of our Down The Ballot series, we’re turning to the races for state legislature.

The district lines drawn by GOP lawmakers will virtually ensure that Republicans keep at least a majority in the House and Senate. But if Democrat Josh Stein wins the governor’s race, the outcome of the race for a legislative supermajority will determine the policy direction of the state for the next two years. If Democrats can flip seats in either or both chambers, a veto from Stein could stop GOP legislation.

One of the N.C. House races that will determine that power dynamic is in the Wilson area, where Republican Rep. Ken Fontenot is defending a seat he flipped from Democrats two years ago. WUNC spoke with Fontenot and his Democratic opponent, Dante Pittman, about the key issues in the race and why the district is so competitive. 

This week on our Down The Ballot series, we’re taking a look at the only one of North Carolina’s 14 congressional districts that has a close election this year.

First-term Democratic Congressman Don Davis is defending his seat in a district that state lawmakers redrew to give Republicans a slightly better shot at winning. Retired Army Colonel and political newcomer Laurie Buckhout of Edenton is the GOP nominee for the 1st Congressional District, which includes about 20 counties in the state’s northeastern corner, from Henderson and Goldsboro east to Corolla on the Outer Banks. 

A spokesman for Buckhout declined to make her available for an interview with WUNC, citing scheduling constraints. But Davis spoke with WUNC about the key issues in the race and what he’s done in nearly two years in Congress.

Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here to read more from the Down The Ballot series.

We’re talking to candidates for key races on the WUNC Politics Podcast as part of our Down The Ballot series. This week, we’re taking a look at the race for governor. While the Republican candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, hasn’t responded to multiple interview requests from WUNC, Due South co-host Jeff Tiberii sat down this week with the Democrat, Attorney General Josh Stein. Stein, who served in the state Senate before he was elected AG in 2016, talked about the contrasts in the campaign and how he’d approach the job opposite a powerful legislature that’s expected to remain under GOP control.

Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here to read more from the Down The Ballot series.

We’re talking to candidates for key downballot races on the WUNC Politics Podcast as part of our Down The Ballot series. Next up: The race for insurance commissioner. 

The insurance commissioner gets the final say on whether insurance companies can raise the rates you pay for home and auto insurance. And this year’s election for the position comes amid a proposed 42% average homeowners insurance premium hike. The commissioner also oversees insurance fraud and consumer protection work at the agency. WUNC spoke with the Republican incumbent, Commissioner Mike Causey, and his opponent, Democratic state Sen. Natasha Marcus, about their views on the insurance rate increase process and other issues facing the department.

Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here to read more from the Down The Ballot series.

Here's a midweek bonus episode from another great WUNC podcast, The Broadside:

This year, a record $12.3 billion will be spent on US political campaigns. The majority of that is earmarked for political advertising, particularly in battleground states like North Carolina. But where does that money go, and what exactly does it buy? The answers might surprise and alarm you.

Featuring:

We’re talking to candidates for key downballot races on the WUNC Politics Podcast as part of our Down The Ballot series. Next up: The race for attorney general. North Carolina’s attorney general is a key – and powerful – position in the state. In addition to being the state’s top lawyer, it’s also been a launch pad to the governor’s office. Gov. Roy Cooper had the job for 16 years, and the current occupant of the office – Josh Stein – is the leading candidate to become the next governor. That’s part of why this year’s race for Attorney General is drawing two Congressmen, Democrat Jeff Jackson and Republican Dan Bishop, and millions of dollars in campaign spending. WUNC's Rusty Jacobs spoke with Jackson about his campaign; Bishop cancelled scheduled interviews with WUNC but this episode includes clips of his comments.

Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here to read more from the Down The Ballot series.

We’re talking to candidates for key downballot races on the WUNC Politics Podcast as part of our Down The Ballot series. Next up: The race for state auditor.

The office audits state agencies from the governor’s administration down to small town halls, ferreting out waste and misspent tax dollars. Republican Dave Boliek, an attorney and UNC-Chapel Hill trustee, is challenging Democrat Jessica Holmes, who was appointed to the role last year after the resignation of longtime auditor Beth Wood. WUNC spoke to both candidates about their differing views on diversity, equity and inclusion issues, the need to audit the DMV, and how to approach the work of state government's watchdog.

Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here to read more from the Down The Ballot series.

We’re talking to candidates for key downballot races on the WUNC Politics Podcast as part of our Down The Ballot series. Next up: The race for superintendent of public instruction.

Current Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt lost in a surprise upset in the March Republican primary to Michele Morrow, a nurse and mom who homeschools her kids. Morrow quickly faced criticism for old social media posts calling for former President Barack Obama and other Democrats to be publicly executed for treason. Her candidacy is a big contrast with the Democratic candidate, Mo Green, who’s been a longtime administrator in some of the state’s largest public school districts. WUNC’s Education Reporter Liz Schlemmer sat down with both candidates to talk about their views on public schools and the future of the state Department of Public Instruction. 

Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here to read more from the Down The Ballot series.