North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper requests $25.57 billion in federal aid for Hurricane Helene recovery, criticizing the Republican-led state legislature’s relief efforts as inadequate and calling Senate Bill 382 a “disaster bill.”Door Helen Chickering

"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 i…

Six houses have collapsed into the waves at Rodanthe this year, and 11 in the past four years. With much of the buffering beach and dunes eaten away by erosion, more are poised to fall in any time. The question is becoming not how to save such houses, but rather how to remove them before they collapse.…

Janet Cowell says her first priority as Raleigh's new mayor will be addressing the city's shortage of affordable housing.Door Will Michaels

The North Carolina General Assembly voted Tuesday to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of House Bill 10, making it law, with big changes for private school vouchers and immigration enforcement.Door Julian Berger

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 Tib…

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 wil…

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 p…

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,…

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 a…

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 …

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. Ro…

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 H…

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 …

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…

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, …

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 d…

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 st…

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…

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 propose…

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 Tusca…

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'…

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 educatio…

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, Pierc…

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 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 con…

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 Jac…

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…

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 s…

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 bu…

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…

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 Robeso…

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 Bi…

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, …

This is the first 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. Our first stop is …

The state legislature wrapped up votes this week on new Congressional and state House and Senate district maps. The maps make it likely that Republicans will add three or four seats in Congress, while solidifying potential veto-proof majorities in the legislature. But with lawsuits looming over the maps, the fight isn't over. Senate Minority Whip J…

Most of the focus at the state legislature this week was on the vetoed bills that change the rules for elections and take appointment powers away from the governor. But two other veto overrides got less attention – in part because the “regulatory reform” and “clean energy” bills are so complicated. Grady O’Brien of the North Carolina Conservation N…

A high-drama week at the North Carolina legislature brought quick action on an overdue state budget, following a decision by Republican leaders to drop a proposal to add four new casinos in rural counties. Rep. Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe, shares her thoughts on the budget — and its non-monetary policy provisions — with WUNC’s Colin Campbell. She a…

State House lawmakers advanced a 39-page rewrite of North Carolina’s alcohol laws this week. The bill includes major changes to how liquor is sold at restaurants, bars and ABC stores. To sort through the details, Lynn Minges of the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association joins WUNC’s Colin Campbell. She discusses the economic value of happy hour and …

A hectic one-day session at the legislature resulted in six veto overrides and an effort to weaken the governor’s appointment powers — but no state budget deal. To sort through the action, Senate Majority Whip Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, chats with WUNC’s Colin Campbell. Perry also discusses loan legislation he sponsored that got vetoed, as well as his pr…

With the passage of a state budget delayed until September, Democrats in the legislature are increasingly impatient with Republican leaders’ slow progress in wrapping up this year’s long session. House Democratic Leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, talks with WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell about the impacts on state employees and Medicaid ex…

Before Phil Berger was considered the most powerful politician in the state, Democratic Sen. Marc Basnight of Manteo held the same position from 1993 to 2010. Basnight, who died in 2020, was a big advocate for the Outer Banks, and he used his role to help build the tourism juggernaut we have today in that corner of the state. Author Clark Twiddy’s …

North Carolina’s state budget is now three weeks overdue, and it’s likely August could be the earliest that a spending plan and state employee raises might be finalized. House Majority Leader John Bell, R-Wayne, joins WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell to explain the delays. Bell also discusses the status of recently vetoed bills, proposed ca…

As the legislature starts to wind down, sweeping proposed changes to North Carolina elections are still on the table – and could have a big effect on the 2024 elections. Republicans want to shift appointment powers for the State Board of Elections, create an earlier deadline for mail-in ballots and make new regulations for early voting — all while …

Primaries for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general are already attracting plenty of candidates — and potential candidates. To help us sort through who’s running and how the campaigns will play out, as well as how much they’ll cost, WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell is joined by longtime political consultant Brad Crone and Anna …

It’s been a busy week at the state legislature as we enter what might be the final weeks of this year’s long session. Dozens of bills have passed the House and Senate in the past week alone, and many of them haven’t gotten much attention. To catch up on the noteworthy bills many of us missed, North Carolina Tribune Editor Ray Gronberg joins WUNC Ca…

Bills restricting transgender sports participation and access to healthcare are nearing final passage at the North Carolina legislature, but none of the 170 lawmakers who will decide their fate are transgender themselves. Transgender advocate and Iraq War veteran Vivian Taylor joins WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell to discuss her perspectiv…

Rep. Garland Pierce, D-Scotland, is one of the N.C. House’s closely watched moderate Democrats this session — a veteran lawmaker who sometimes crosses party lines on key issues, something that could make a difference on veto overrides this year. Pierce joins WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell to explain his thinking on issues like transgender…

N.C. House and Senate budget writers are negotiating how much state workers will get in raises — at a time when nearly a quarter of positions in state government are vacant. The House has proposed a 4.25% raise starting in July, while the Senate prefers 2.5%. The State Employees Association of North Carolina is lobbying for a larger amount. SEANC e…

N.C. House Republicans are meeting soon to discuss whether they’ll pass a Senate bill to legalize medical marijuana. Senate Rules Chairman Bill Rabon is leading the charge, hoping his personal experience using marijuana to survive colon cancer treatments can persuade his GOP colleagues. Rabon, along with bipartisan bill co-sponsors — Sen. Paul Lowe…