WUNC Politics

Polls will once again open all across North Carolina on Tuesday, May 14. But with mostly down-ballot races on the ballot, will Republican primaries be decided by a tiny number of voters? Political scientist Chris Cooper of Western Carolina University shares some turnout trends and other dynamics for North Carolina’s rare runoff primaries with WUNC's Colin Campbell. And we hear fr

State lawmakers are back in Raleigh to begin what’s known as the short session – several months in which they’ll make adjustments to the state budget for the upcoming year and consider a variety of other legislation that didn’t make it across the finish line in the 2023 long session. One of the biggest partisan battles is likely to be over education funding: How much of the

Rodney Pierce, a middle school social studies teacher from Roanoke Rapids, narrowly defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Michael Wray in last month's Democratic primary. He campaigned with what he describes as an effort to "educate" voters about Wray's record in the N.C. House of voting with Republicans. Because no Republicans filed for the seat, Pierce will represent majority Black Wa

Wyatt Gable, a 21-year-old student at East Carolina University, unseated 10-term Republican Rep. George Cleveland of Jacksonville, who’s in his 80s and is one of the oldest members of the state House. Gable will face Democrat Carmen Spicer in November, but House District 14 leans heavily conservative and he’s likely to become the youngest member of the state legislature next ye

The results are in for the 2024 North Carolina primary -- and while some of the top-tier races ended up where everyone expected, there were some big surprises further down the ballot, as well as some races that won't get resolved until a runoff election in May. WUNC's Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell sorts through the results in a late-night conversation with host Will Michaels,

Voters in this year's primary will have a few new things to get used to. After years of legal wrangling, photo IDs are required to vote, but there's a process in place for voters who show up without one. And voters looking to use mail-in absentee ballots need to be aware of earlier deadlines. WUNC's voting and election integrity reporter, Rusty Jacobs, joins Capitol Bureau Chief Co

Voters in this year's Republican primary will decide whether they want Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson or one of his opponents as their nominee for governor. And elsewhere on the ballot, races for lieutenant governor, Council of State and open congressional seats have drawn a large number of Republican candidates. Candidates spending their personal fortunes on TV ads could have an impact on

As North Carolina’s March 5 primary looms, there’s not much competition at the presidential level on the Democratic side. President Joe Biden will be the only name on the ballot here, but there are plenty of races worth watching further down the Democratic Party ballot for governor, Council of State and legislative seats. Will low turnout lead to some surprise results? Will vot

This episode is the sixth installment in our Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast.One of the state’s only cryptocurrency mining operations is located a few miles outside Murphy at North Carolina’s far-western tip – and it’s driving the neighbors crazy. Even at a house a mile away, the sound can make it seem like you're next to a busy freeway. It comes from m

This episode is the fifth installment in our Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast.Dozens of small towns across North Carolina are struggling to replace aging, often failing water and sewer infrastructure. The upgrades are needed to attract industry and residents back to places where textile and manufacturing plants have closed down. The tiny town of Star in Montgome