By JOHN HOOD Campaigns for president, U.S. Senate and House, governor, and hundreds of other political races have spent staggering sums to market their candidates to North Carolina voters. But will all that spending really change anyone’s mind? If you look at empirical research, you’ll f
By Kari Travis Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — North Carolina is breaking voting records already, experts say, with a stunning early turnout far exceeding 2016’s voter record. The reasons vary, says Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Cata
By Mitch Kokai Carolina Journal News Service Elections officials in North Carolina will count absentee ballots mailed in by Nov. 12, nine days after Election Day. The U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-3 vote, refused Republican legislative leaders’ request to enforce a state law se
By JOHN HOOD RALEIGH — North Carolina, like most of the country, has become increasingly polarized in our political thinking and behavior. But what does that really mean? Well, we know it doesn’t mean that all North Carolinians are so rigidly partisan they support onl
By JOHN HOOD Carolina Journal RALEIGH — In this seemingly endless year of disease, destruction, dissension, and despair, what’s an optimist to do? This is no hypothetical question for me. I’m a naturally optimistic person. As one of my favorite songs goes, “Grab your coat and get
By Lindsay Marchello Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — Virtual learning is taking a toll on Chloe Dixon’s children. Dixon took her eldest daughter out of public school because of mental health issues. She was able to send the girl to private school, but her two o
By Julie Havlak Carolina Journal News Service Reopening schools is the top priority of Catherine Truitt, the Republican candidate for state superintendent. Truitt also wants to defend the Opportunity Scholarship program, but her Democratic opponent, Jen Mangrum, argues
by Lindsay Marchello, Carolina Journal News Service Fewer than six weeks from the 2020 general election, two of the five members of the State Board of Elections walked off the job. Republicans are disgusted. They say they were misled by information from the board. Its staff. State Attorney G
By Julie Havlak Carolina Journal News Service Gov. Roy Cooper plans to allow fans at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and other outdoor entertainment venues. At a Sept. 22 new conference, Cooper said he would move toward Phase 3 of his COVID-19 limits Oct. 2, when large
Mitch Kokai, Carolina Journal News Service We’re taught at an early age that the people maintain ultimate authority over government in our state and nation. An ongoing state court battle challenges that teaching. Some 2,094,924 people cast ballots in 2018 to lower North Carolina’s stat
By Julie Havlak, Carolina Journal News Service RALEIGH — “I don’t consider myself to be a black leader. I consider myself to be a leader in N.C. who just happens to be black.” That’s how Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Mark Robinson introduced himself at a debate hosted by
by Lindsay Marchello Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Reopen the schools: Five parents are challenging Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ decision to start the
