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As the election grows closer, we’re talking to candidates for key downballot races on the WUNC Politics Podcast as part of our Down The Ballot series. You can also read more about the candidates in the weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter.Next up in the series: the race for a seat on the NC Supreme Court. Republicans currently hold a 5-to-2 majority on the highest court, and they’re looking to unseat incumbent Justice Allison Riggs to leave just one Democrat on the court. Democrats hope to get Riggs elected to a full eight-year term over her challenger, Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Both Griffin and Riggs spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about their judicial philosophies, professional experience and an abortion-related issue that has come up in the race.Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here.

As the election grows closer, we’re talking to candidates for key downballot races on the WUNC Politics Podcast as part of our Down The Ballot series. You can also read more about the candidates in the weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter.Next up in the series: the race for lieutenant governor. With current Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson running for governor, Democratic state Sen. Rachel Hunt will face longtime Republican political staffer and election integrity organization founder Hal Weatherman for the open seat. The two candidates have stark differences on how they view abortion, education funding, elections administration and other issues.Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here.

As the election grows closer, we’re talking to candidates for key downballot races in the coming weeks on the WUNC Politics Podcast as part of our Down The Ballot series. You can also read more about the candidates in the weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter.First up in the series: the race for state treasurer. Two-term State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s decision to step down will mean a fresh face in an important financial role for state employees, and both Republican Brad Briner and Democratic candidate Wesley Harris are calling for big changes in how the state runs its pension fund for retired employees. Both candidates also see looming challenges for state employee healthcare and for local government finances overseen by the treasurer’s office.Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here.

With all the news swirling this week about the presidential campaign and the possibility of Gov. Roy Cooper as a vice presidential candidate, we’re bringing you a segment from WUNC’s Due South. Host Jeff Tiberii spoke with Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper and WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell about where things stand and what Cooper would bring to the race.Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here.

North Carolina law makes it extremely hard to run for office if you’re not willing to register as a Republican or Democrat and go through the party primary process. This year though, an unaffiliated candidate for Congress has made it onto the ballot for the first time in memory. Shelane Etchison is an Army veteran who served in special forces units in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, and she's running in the 9th District against incumbent Republican Congressman Richard Hudson. She speaks with WUNC's Colin Campbell about her petition drive to get on the ballot and the issues she's campaigning on.

Thanks to a budget provision last year, state lawmakers can now deny the public access to their emails, documents and other records that most other branches of state government are required to release. That move toward secrecy is just one of many transparency concerns at the legislature. A few weeks ago, Democrats in the legislature filed a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee public access to government records. One of the amendment's sponsors, Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, joins WUNC's Colin Campbell to discuss the proposal along with a wide range of issues that make it difficult for the public to keep track of legislative action.

Members of the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina recently visited the state legislature to push for a House bill that would grant them formal state recognition as an American Indian tribe. They've been fighting for the benefits provided to other tribes for decades, and the history of conflict stretches back centuries to the 1700s war between Tuscarora ancestors and British colonists. House Speaker Tim Moore says the recognition bill is unlikely to move forward, in part due to opposition from the Lumbee Tribe, the Tuscarora Nation's neighbors in Robeson County. To learn more about the Tuscarora Indians and their push for state recognition, WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with Rahnàwakęw Donnie McDowell, the Tuscaroras' public relations officer. 

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 from the two Republican candidates for state auditor, Jack Clark and Dave Boliek, who offer contrasting backgrounds and visions for an important state government watchdog role.

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 state's projected revenue surplus will go to public schools, and how much will address high demand for private school vouchers? Will the state address the funding cliff that childcare centers are experiencing as federal pandemic money expires?To sort through the issues facing lawmakers, WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with Sen. Gale Adcock, D-Wake. Adcock, a longtime nurse practitioner, also discusses the state's healthcare policy needs in the months following the expansion of the Medicaid program.

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 Warren, Halifax and Northampton counties in the legislature next year. Pierce spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about his goals to address economic development in an area he calls North Carolina's "Neglected Northeast," as well as how he mounted a successful primary campaign. He also discussed the challenges rural schools are facing and how his candidacy became a civics lesson for his students.

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 year. Gable spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about how he won a surprise victory in the primary and how to get more young people involved in politics. He also explained the issues he wants to prioritize. He wants North Carolina’s education system to better prepare young people for a tough economy, and he wants to see stronger oversight of major road projects.

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, then joins other panelists on "Due South" with host Jeff Tiberii to discuss the takeaways and look ahead toward the general election.

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 Colin Campbell to explain what voters need to know as they participate in a big election year.

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 who wins.To sort through all the races to watch on the GOP side, WUNC spoke with N.C. Rep. Erin Paré, R-Wake, and Anna Beavon Gravely, a political analyst and former executive director of NC FREE. Paré also discusses her decision to switch races from Congress to N.C. House because of the likely cost of running in a crowded congressional primary.

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 votes in support of Republican legislation cost several incumbent Democrats their seats in the state House and Senate?To sort through the Democratic primary ballot, WUNC spoke with Sen. Graig Meyer, D-Orange, and Kimberly Reynolds, former executive director of North Carolina Democratic Party and a partner in the consulting firm Maven Strategies.

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 massive computer servers that are running the complex computations needed to power cryptocurrency. The out-of-state companies were drawn here by cheap electricity and a lack of zoning restrictions, forcing the leaders of Cherokee County to balance their conservative love of unfettered property rights with the need to address a modern nuisance. To learn more about how Murphy and Cherokee County are charting a future that brings more tourists while keeping out noisy cryptomines, WUNC spoke with County Commissioner Ben Adams.

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 Montgomery County, near Asheboro, is leading the way in addressing the problem -- securing more than $35 million in state and federal funds to replace water lines that break often as well as its water tower and sewer treatment plant. To hear more about Star's plans for what its leaders hope will be a bright future, powered in part by an arts complex, WUNC spoke with Star Mayor Bill Hudson and Town Commissioner Ray Mims. 

This episode is the fourth installment in our Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast.The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is based in the small town of Pembroke, and this corner of Robeson County has one of the highest concentrations of American Indians in the state. The Lumbee Tribe is also a considerable political force across Robeson – and it’s had to fight hard throughout its history to gain that political power. In recent years, many Lumbees have helped shift Robeson County politically from a place with a reliable majority for the Democratic Party to a county that largely supports Republicans. To understand why, WUNC spoke with N.C. Rep. Jarrod Lowery, a Republican who is the state's only American Indian legislator. Lowery discusses how the push for Lumbee federal recognition in Congress and political parties' shifting presence in Robeson County played a part in the change.

This episode is the third installment in our new Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. When Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina in 2016, every business on Main Street in the small Columbus County town of Fair Bluff was underwater. A few had reopened by 2018 when Hurricane Florence brought a repeat of the same flood damage. Mayor Billy Hammond and other town leaders ultimately came up with a dramatic plan to address the issue: Build a whole new downtown-style commercial district a few blocks up the street on higher ground. To hear more about Fair Bluff's plans for a flood-proof future, and how it hopes to make its close proximity to the Lumber River an asset, WUNC spoke with Hammond and Town Manager Al Leonard. 

This is the second installment in our new Main Street NC series from the WUNC Politics Podcast. In the coming months, we’ll be visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face, from population loss to flooding to aging utility infrastructure. East of Raleigh, the once sleepy suburb of Wendell ranked as the fastest-growing town in North Carolina between 2020 and 2021, with a population that increased by 16% in a single year. Signs of growth are everywhere you look in the Wake County town. It’s a prime example of what the rapid growth of North Carolina’s metro areas means for the once sleepy towns on their outskirts.To learn more about why Wendell is suddenly one of the state’s fastest-growing towns, and the challenges that brings, WUNC spoke with Mayor Virginia Gray and Mayor Pro Tem Jason Joyner.