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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: Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief at North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC Frank Eaton, ad maker and political consultant Brian Lewis, co-host of the Do Politics Better podcast, lobbyist and principal at New Frame

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. 

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.Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here.

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.Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here.

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. Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here.

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.Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here.

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.Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here.

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.Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here.

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.Sign up for WUNC's new Politics Newsletter here.