2024 elections
Ballot bites: Cotham files for reelection, gerrymandering forces Manning out of Congress
Eight months after announcing she was switching parties giving the GOP a veto-proof majority in the state House, Rep. Tricia Cotham filed the paperwork Thursday to run for reelection. Carrying a Kade Spade tote embellished with two silver elephants, Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) shared on social media that she had filed to run in the newly drawn […]
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy to exit Congress, along with a flock of other lawmakers
WASHINGTON — Former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Wednesday joined the growing list of Congress members heading for the U.S. Capitol exits. McCarthy’s planned departure by year’s end, following the expulsion of disgraced New York Republican Congressman George Santos, will leave the House GOP with a razor-thin majority in 2024. The California Republican’s announcement also […]
Ballot bites: Prominent candidates for Governor, Congress, Council of State join the fray
Major news on the filing front Tuesday is that Republican U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10) is not running for reelection. McHenry announced he will retire after 10 terms that included three weeks earlier this year as temporary House Speaker after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was kicked out of the job. “There is a season for everything […]
Ballot bites: Politicos make final decisions ahead of NC candidate filing
Just days ahead of the opening candidate filing period, politicians are making their intentions known and trying to demonstrate political strength by touting endorsements and cash on hand. If you missed it on Wednesday, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger endorsed Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the 2024 Republican gubernatorial primary. Berger said Robinson has […]
Deberry: NC needs an attorney general who ‘believes in democracy’
In a virtual forum Tuesday, Satana Deberry said North Carolinians need an attorney general who “believes in democracy” and is willing to fight for it in court — values that are especially pertinent as the state faces lawsuits over Senate redistricting and a voter ID law passed by the legislature earlier this year. “The law […]
House Democratic Leader Robert Reives recaps the legislative session and the impact on NC elections
The job of leading North Carolina House Democrats – a diverse group with an array of ideologies and priorities — has always been a tough job. And in the current era in which aggressive Republican gerrymandering has rigged the outcome in so many districts that it’s all but impossible for Democrats to win their fair […]
New poll: Stein, Robinson hold large leads in gubernatorial primary races
Just over 100 days before North Carolinians vote in the 2024 primary election, a new poll indicates that Republican and Democratic frontrunners in the race for governor continue to hold big advantages over their rivals. The Meredith College poll shows that Lt. Governor Mark Robinson holds a marked lead over other Republican challengers. Forty-one percent […]
State, local elections offer good news for democracy
The big news out of Tuesday’s elections was wins for Democrats and for reproductive rights in Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. But small “d” democracy also had a good night: Virginians elected pro-voting majorities in both chambers, stymieing efforts to pass restrictive new voting laws. Ohioans turned out in large numbers to pass two popular […]
Abortion-rights victories cement 2024 playbook while opponents scramble for new strategy
Anti-abortion leaders woke up Wednesday to the sobering reality that abortion rights remain the nation’s predominant political issue. Decisive wins in swing and red states in two national election cycles since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year have given momentum to reproductive rights groups, who aggressively campaigned and fundraised in key states across the […]
NC House Speaker’s slush fund spending is emblematic of today’s Trumpified GOP
Donald Trump’s malignant eight-year run in American politics has helped give rise to many deeply troubling phenomena: The first nation’s attempted coup d’état.* The resurgence of unabashed white nationalism. A bizarre alliance between religious conservatives and some of the nation’s most rapacious and predatory corporate actors. A widespread willingness to embrace crazy conspiracy theories and […]
One year out: how a free and fair 2024 presidential election could be under threat
The last time America elected a president, it led to a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol and a failed coup that gravely damaged the political system and marred the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in U.S. history. A year from now, the nation’s voters will decide another presidential contest — likely […]