Skye and Brian go through the 2024 election results , including the race for NC's 16 Electoral College votes, U.S. Congress, Governor and Council of State, the General Assembly, the NC courts, and more. They also talk about the possible power dynamic between a new Democratic governor and his former colleagues in the General Assembly. Plus #TOTW, holiday decorations, and what to do now that the election is over. The Do Politics Better podcast is sponsored by New Frame , the NC Travel Industry Ass...
Nov 06, 2024•35 min•Ep. 187
Congressman Patrick McHenry is wrapping up a storied 20-year career in the U.S. Congress this December. The Republican from the 10th District talks to Brian about his time in Congress, including the nearly three weeks in 2023 he spent as the Speaker of the House, as well as his first elected position as a state legislator in the General Assembly in 2003-2004. Skye and Brian also talk about strong early voting numbers , campaign finance reports, final polling , #TOTW , and more. The Do Politics B...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 186
Rep. Jake Johnson is Western North Carolina to his core. Born and raised in rural Polk County, he knows just about everyone in his close-knit district spanning over Rutherford, McDowell, Henderson, and his home county. The 30-year old Republican talks about his public service, including his important position as co-chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, also called Gov-Ops for short. However, the conversation isn't all business as Skye and Brian discover Rep. Johnson has a love for (...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 185
Political consultants Nathan Babcock, a Republican , and Kimberly Reynolds, a Democrat , preview the 2024 General Election. The veteran operatives discuss #ncpol races from U.S. President to Council of State to the General Assembly, including the disruptive effect of the Mark Robinson scandal on all races. Skye and Brian also talk early voting, the Lt. Governor's press conference , the latest Carolina Journal Poll , Rep. Jimmy Dixon is running for House Majority Leader, #TOTW , and more. The Do ...
Oct 17, 2024•55 min•Ep. 184
Professor Chris Cooper's 'Anatomy of a Purple State' hit bookstores this week and the Western Carolina University political scientist stops by the podcast to discuss it with Skye and Brian. While in Raleigh, Dr. Cooper also talks about Hurricane Helene's impact on his part of the state and the effect he thinks the aftermath of the storm will have on the November 5th election. And speaking of unprecedented storms, Cooper also talks about Mark Robinson's possible effect on down ballot races. Plus,...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 183
Kelly McCullen is the host of State Lines , a weekly roundtable public affairs show that features political analysts, journalists and elected officials. Kelly also serves as executive producer to several PBS-NC public affairs shows, including Side by Side with Nido Qubein and The NC Listening Project . The Clinton native also talks about his start in broadcasting at a regional AM radio station in Sampson County, his path to TV journalism, and his witness to political change in the General Assemb...
Oct 03, 2024•56 min•Ep. 182
Lobbyist Mike Carpenter is a fixture at the General Assembly in his role as General Counsel at the NC Home Builders Association. However, many don't realize that it was Mike who started the government relations program at NCHBA in 1989 after a career prosecuting drug dealers in the NC Attorney General's Office. Mike takes listeners all the way to 1971, when he was a college intern in the Lt. Governor's Office (one of the most powerful legislative offices in state government at the time), his sti...
Sep 26, 2024•58 min•Ep. 181
Note from DPB: This podcast was recorded the day before CNN broke the news about Lt. Governor Mark Robinson's alleged online pornography posts. Skye and Brian record a brief intro before the podcast starts to give listeners a heads up to this fact and to comment about the gravity of the news. The podcast will talk more about the controversy next week. Sen. Bob Brinson (R-Lenoir/Craven/Beaufort) is the newest member of the NC Senate, and after his first day of casting votes in the September legis...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 180
If you're a Republican embroiled in a media dust-up, Jonathan Felts is the guy to call. Whether reporters are inquiring about a Kentucky Bourbon Trail or an election complaint has been filed , Felts is the guy who likes to take problems head on. Felts talks to Skye and Brian about growing up in Davie County, his conservative upbringing, life in Washington, DC, his work on high profile campaigns, and what brought him back to North Carolina. Plus, a veteran lawmaker dies , lots of action in the Ge...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 179
A fatal 2016 police shooting in Charlotte thrusted Braxton Winston onto the political/advocacy scene and eventually led him to make a successful bid for the Charlotte City Council a year later. Now, the Onslow County native is running statewide for Labor Commissioner as a Democrat. Braxton discusses the race and why he feels his experience as a Union member makes him uniquely qualified to protect North Carolina workers. Plus, Skye and Brian preview a weeklong legislative session next week, a bom...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 178
Luke Farley is new to politics. Yet, the Onslow County native surprised the NC political world when he won a heated Republican primary race for Labor Commissioner against a candidate with more name recognition and high profile endorsements from around the state. Luke discusses the primary campaign and the general election, including his experience as a labor attorney, and why he feels he's uniquely qualified to protect North Carolina workers. Skye and Brian also talk about Beth Wood's endorsemen...
Aug 29, 2024•59 min•Ep. 177
There was a time when the Lieutenant Governor ran the NC Senate and had powers equal to the NC Speaker of the House. Some would argue that from 1973-1988, the so-called second-in-command had more powers than even the Governor. Tim Kent is the Executive Director of the NC Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association and he was a reporter at WRAL when the LG was stripped of most legislative power in 1988 after a Republican won the position . This is Tim's second visit to the podcast after he walked lis...
Aug 22, 2024•57 min•Ep. 176
NC Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons stops by the podcast to talk about the RNC Convention in Milwaukee, the Republican case against Vice President Kamala Harris, and his professional transition from Executive Director to Chairman of the NC GOP . The California native talks about growing up an Army kid, his move to South Carolina, managing campaigns, and his love of North Carolina, its barbecue, and the people. Plus, Skye and Brian talk about shifting and dynamic North Carolina polls , a n...
Aug 15, 2024•57 min•Ep. 175
In his last visit to the podcast in February 2023 , Rep. Garland Pierce had just won his 10th election to the NC House in a hard fought battle against a well funded Republican challenger. In 2024, he's in another difficult and expensive fight to represent Hoke and Scotland Counties. In this special edition of the podcast, Rep. Pierce talks politics, his election, and how he leverages his votes on legislation to benefit his poor, rural district. The Do Politics Better podcast is sponsored by New ...
Aug 08, 2024•39 min•Ep. 174
Political polling has always been under public scrutiny, but the 2016 election took our skepticism to an all new level. To help us understand polling, Skye and Brian sit down with John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson , whose organization issues ten #ncpol polls each year. Plus, the podcast discusses Governor Cooper's exit from VP consideration , veto overrides , Republican House Caucus TV ad budget, Race of the Week , Tweet of the Week , and winning gold at the Olympics . The Do Politics Bett...
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 173
Independent expenditures and c4s are an increasingly important yet misunderstood part of modern day politics. So what is an IE and a c4, and how do they function in a political ecosystem? Veteran political operative Dan Crawford stops by the podcast to have a conversation about it. Plus, Skye and Brian unpack a wild week in NC politics, including Gov. Cooper Veepstakes , new members selected , staffing changes, Tweet of the Week , and more. The Do Politics Better podcast is sponsored by New Fram...
Jul 25, 2024•53 min•Ep. 172
Stephen Wiley has one job as the NC House Republican Caucus director: Win elections so the GOP maintains control of the House. The one-time Apple store employee talks about how the political landscape looks in 2024, the quality of candidates he's fielding versus those he's facing, and his take on the future of the Republican brand. Skye and Brian talk about a pair of General Assembly resignations , staff changes in the Senate , quarterly fundraising reports , CNBC's business rankings , Race of t...
Jul 18, 2024•58 min•Ep. 171
This podcast episode is the first of two featuring conversations with the elected chairs of the Democratic and Republican parties in NC. NC Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton is everywhere it seems. Following her on social media can be downright dizzying as she criss-crosses the state (and nation) as she pushes out her party's message. However, there is another side to the 26-year old Person County native and she opens up to Skye and Brian, including her father's vote for President Trump in...
Jul 11, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 170
Senate 'Big Chair' Brent Jackson is a featured guest one week after his House counterpart, Rep. Jason Saine, made his case for the House budget on the podcast . The Senate budget writer talks about the impasse with the House, the decision to go it alone with the budget after the House submitted its own, the Farm Act, watermelons and cantaloupes, and how he plans to spend the rest of his summer. Skye and Brian also break down the last days of session before we return in the fall, including veto o...
Jun 28, 2024•43 min•Ep. 169
After weeks of hearing that a budget would be a conference report agreement between the House and Senate, the House pulled the trigger and released its own budget this week . Meanwhile the Senate said it's heading home at the end of June. Rep. Jason Saine is a senior budget writer in the House and he takes listeners behind-the-scenes on how we got here in the process and what we can expect next. In other news, some bills are merging , others are collapsing, and all signs point to a General Assem...
Jun 19, 2024•50 min•Ep. 168
Listeners may not know Frank Eaton's name, but it's likely they're very familiar with his political ads. They include eye-popping, attention-getting productions for Rep. Charles Graham , Rep. Deb Butler , Sen. Graig Meyer , Sen. Rachel Hunt , and Lt. Governor Walter Dalton . The former UNC School of the Arts student also has clients in other states . Frank talks about his Emmy-award winning work and his predictions on what kind of ads we'll see during this election cycle in North Carolina. Skye ...
Jun 13, 2024•59 min•Ep. 167
Brent Woodcox serves as the Senior Policy Counsel to Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and Senate Republicans. Brent also has a presence on X (formerly Twitter) where he weighs in on policy and politics. Recently, Brent came under fire from a Republican activist who questioned the lifelong Republican's political loyalty. Brent talks about his social media, his work in the Senate, his faith, and more. Skye and Brian also unpack the drama in the General Assembly today about a compromise mask/ca...
Jun 06, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 166
Sen. Mary Wills Bode was Democrats' new hope after the 2022 election in which she won a competitive Senate seat and put up solid numbers in rural part of her Wake-Granville counties district. However, within a year Sen. Bode announced she was not seeking re-election, was rumored to run statewide, but after the candidate filing in December she was undeclared for any elective office. Sen. Bode talks about her decision, she gives a run-down of the short session, and she responds to a recent appeara...
May 30, 2024•59 min•Ep. 164
NC Department of Military & Veterans Affairs Secretary Grier Martin sits down with Skye and Brian for a conversation as we head into the Memorial Day weekend. The Afghanistan War veteran recently returned to North Carolina after working at the Pentagon and now leads North Carolina's work advocating for the state's military installations, the active military serving, and veterans living in North Carolina. The former NC House member also talks candidly about the challenges the Department faces...
May 23, 2024•55 min•Ep. 163
Sen. Danny Earl Britt, Jr. guest hosts the podcast this week with Skye and Brian as they tick through the latest policy, budget, and process developments inside the General Assembly. The Robeson County Republican also gives a candid take on many 2024 candidates on both sides of aisle, including his swing Senate district. The Do Politics Better podcast is sponsored by New Frame , the NC Travel Industry Association , the NC Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association , the NC Pork Council , and the NC...
May 16, 2024•53 min•Ep. 162
The $400 million budget surplus predicted for this fiscal year ending on June 30 and the $1 billion surplus penciled in for next year isn't going to happen , at least not at those levels. Skye and Brian also talk about an anti-semitism bill , a dense bill , new polling , voter ID lawsuit , Race of the Week , #TOTW , and more. Plus a conversation with Rep. Mark Brody about his early life in Milwaukee, his move to NC, the construction industry, and his politics. The Do Politics Better podcast is s...
May 09, 2024•56 min•Ep. 161
Bryan Anderson is a freelance journalist who founded Anderson Alerts, a substack on all things #ncpol. The California native talks about his stints at the News & Observer, Sacremento Bee, WRAL, and The Assembly. While Bryan loves his work as a NC politics reporter, he has concerns about his profession and he opens up about them in this podcast. Skye and Brian also unpack the second week of the short session, which began with tragedy in Charlotte , a pair of controversial bills , a technical ...
May 02, 2024•59 min•Ep. 160
Nathan Babcock plays two crucial roles in #ncpol. Half of his work is inside the General Assembly working as a policy advisor to Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger . During campaign season he's a Republican political consultant who takes lead on some of the most high profile, battleground districts. Nathan talks about his two jobs, including some behind-the-scenes accounts of the abortion bill and Medicaid expansion , both enacted in 2023. He also takes listeners back to his first campaign in ...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 159
There's a lot of unfinished issues for legislators to tackle in the General Assembly short session set to begin on April 24: Medical marijuana, gambling, social issues, opportunity scholarships, immigration, and more. Then there's the rumors. House Majority Leader John Bell and Senate Democratic Whip Jay Chaudhuri join Skye and Brian for a comprehensive preview of the short session ahead. They also talk primary and general election politics, planned and unplanned legislator departures, length of...
Apr 18, 2024•55 min•Ep. 158
Rep. Charles Smith was a three-sport athlete (basketball, baseball, and soccer) in high school. The power forward/centerfielder/sweeper would go on to play college basketball at Emory & Henry College before heading to UNC Law. The newly minted lawyer would return to his native Fayetteville as a prosecutor and entered private practice. Along this journey, the freshman Democrat developed a friendship with the late Sen. Tony Rand , who introduced him to the world of North Carolina politics. Sky...
Apr 11, 2024•59 min•Ep. 157
