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PODCAST

WUNC Politics

The WUNC Politics Podcast is a free-flowing discussion of what we"re hearing in the back hallways of the General Assembly and on the campaign trail across North Carolina.Sign up for our free, weekly WUNC Politics Newsletter here.

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All Episodes

25:28

A closer look at NC's projected 'fiscal cliff'

WUNC Politics ·

2025/03/27

Budget season at the state legislature has officially kicked off with the release of Gov. Josh Stein’s budget recommendations. He’s calling on lawmakers to pause scheduled corporate and personal income tax cuts to avoid projected revenue shortfalls starting next year. He says those revenue drops will make it difficult to fund teacher raises and other major investments in state government, but Republican legislative leaders aren’t eager to change course on tax cuts. Kristin Walker is the

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26:40

Should NC's teacher pay start at $50,000?

WUNC Politics ·

2025/03/21

As North Carolina schools face staffing shortages, both Republicans and Democrats are pushing for bigger raises for starting teacher pay -- but the proposals could face tough odds in a tight budget year.Gov. Josh Stein’s proposal to increase starting teacher pay above $50,000 is similar to one filed recently by Republicans in the state House. Rep. Erin Paré, R-Wake and sponsor of that bill, was appointed this year to help lead the budget process. She spoke with Colin Campbell about the

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25:33

Should NC take the racist literacy test out of its...

WUNC Politics ·

2025/03/14

It’s been more than 50 years since North Carolina used a racist, Jim Crow-era “literacy test” that was designed to prevent Black people from registering to vote. But that requirement remains in the state’s constitution, unenforced.Rep. Terry Brown, D-Mecklenburg, is making another attempt this year to get the language removed. He’ll have to persuade both the House and Senate to put the repeal on the November 2026 ballot. Brown spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about the proposal. He also

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26:36

NC's high healthcare cost and Senate efforts to...

WUNC Politics ·

2025/03/07

N.C. Sen. Benton Sawrey, R-Johnston, landed an influential role in his second term this session as co-chair of the Senate’s committees on healthcare. He joined WUNC's Colin Campbell to talk about efforts to address the unusually high costs of healthcare in North Carolina, including a recent bill to limit insurance coverage mandates and some other proposals in the works for later this year. Sawrey also discussed the prospects of federal Medicaid cuts, the upcoming state budget process and a

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29:54

New Senate minority leader talks Democrats' strategy...

WUNC Politics ·

2025/02/28

After a decade of being led by longtime Sen. Dan Blue, Democrats in the state Senate decided to elect a new leader this year. Sen. Sydney Batch became Senate minority leader last month. She’s a family law attorney who represents western Wake County since she was first elected to the House in 2018.Batch joined the WUNC Politics Podcast to talk about her approach to the leadership role, the potential for Democrats to impact legislation, and the upcoming budget process.

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29:16

Stein's top Helene recovery official makes the case...

WUNC Politics ·

2025/02/21

As state lawmakers debate how much money is needed for the latest Helene recovery package, Gov. Josh Stein’s administration is making the case for $1.07 billion to help western North Carolina rebuild. Matt Calabria, director of the newly created Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about Stein’s Helene funding proposal, the state of federal recovery funding, and the biggest needs five months after the storm. Calabria also

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29:31

Influential GOP consultant looks back at 50 years in...

WUNC Politics ·

2025/02/14

Raleigh-based Republican consultant Carter Wrenn has had a front-row seat to decades of political history. He’s worked for the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms and Ronald Reagan starting in the 1970s.He’s now written a book on his experience that offers an inside look at some key moments and controversial figures in politics. He spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about the book, “The Trail of the Serpent: Stories from the Smoke-Filled Rooms of Politics,” and on some aspects of his political

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25:21

Main Street NC: Midway tries to stay rural while...

WUNC Politics ·

2025/02/07

This is the fifth episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face.Midway is one of North Carolina's newer towns formed to avoid becoming part of a neighboring city. The town in Davidson County that borders Winston-Salem boasts one of the lowest property tax rates in the state, while using its planning and zoning powers to limit suburban

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22:53

Main Street NC: Aurora builds infrastructure to lure...

WUNC Politics ·

2025/01/24

This is the fourth episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. 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.The Beaufort County town of Aurora, population 450, is one of a number of rural communities staking their economic futures on industrial park developments designed to attract employers. Longtime Mayor Clif Williams has been working for years on a

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31:44

Main Street NC: Southeast Raleigh's gentrification...

WUNC Politics ·

2025/01/10

This is the third in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face.Historically Black neighborhoods in southeast Raleigh are rapidly changing, as older homes get torn down to make way for pricey new houses -- and many longtime residents are being pushed out by gentrification. WUNC visits southeast Raleigh to look at the shift and the city's efforts to

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36:44

Main Street NC: Mitchell County's Helene recovery needs

WUNC Politics ·

2024/12/20

This is the second in a new season of our Main Street NC series. 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.Mitchell County, about an hour northeast of Asheville, was hit hard by Helene in September. The storm flooded its downtown business districts, wiped out water and sewer systems and damaged homes and roads. More than two months from the storm, WUNC's Colin

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29:20

Main Street NC: Fountain's musical rebirth

WUNC Politics ·

2024/12/13

This is the first in a new season of our Main Street NC series. 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 storm recovery to gentrification to job development. Nationally touring bands play regularly at the R.A. Fountain General Store in Fountain, a Pitt County town of just 400 people. Now the general store is no longer the only place to find music in this

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25:53

Why women are underrepresented in NC politics

WUNC Politics ·

2024/11/22

"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 issue. Only 30% of next year's state legislators are female. Cooper joins WUNC's Colin Campbell to talk about the numbers along with Rep. Lindsey

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49:41

Making sense of NC's election results

WUNC Politics ·

2024/11/06

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

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34:13

Down The Ballot: NC Legislature

WUNC Politics ·

2024/11/01

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

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22:16

Down The Ballot: 1st Congressional District

WUNC Politics ·

2024/10/25

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

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20:29

Josh Stein on his campaign for governor

WUNC Politics ·

2024/10/18

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

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33:19

Down The Ballot: Insurance Commissioner

WUNC Politics ·

2024/10/11

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

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22:53

Bonus episode: The art and alarming science of...

WUNC Politics ·

2024/10/08

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

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17:03

Down The Ballot: Attorney General

WUNC Politics ·

2024/10/04

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

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