Carter is a Republican. Gary is a Democrat.

They met in 1984, during the epic U.S. Senate battle between Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt. Carter worked for Helms and Gary, for Hunt.

Years later, they became friends. They even worked together on some nonpolitical clients.

They enjoy talking about politics. So they started this blog in 2005.

They’re still talking. And they invite you to join the conversation.

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Carter Wrenn

Gary Pearce 2024

Gary Pearce

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Tillis’ Tap Dance

By Gary Pearce 2023-06-16

Do I have to start liking Thom Tillis now? The second-term U.S. Senator from North Carolina got censured by the state Republican convention for working with Democrats on guns, immigration and gay marriage. The resolution cited “blatant violations of our party platform.” The NC GOP doesn’t tolerate deviations from the party line. Then-Senator Richard Burr…

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Forgiving An Enemy

By Carter Wrenn 2023-06-16

Six shots rang out. A Secret Service agent stepped in front of Reagan, was shot in the chest; shoving Reagan into the backseat of a limousine another agent landed on top of him pinning him to the floor; Reagan felt a stab of pain in his ribs, coughed up bubbly blood – he collapsed walking…

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The Circus

By Carter Wrenn 2023-06-15

Trump got indicted; Kevin McCarthy ripped Biden for turning the Justice Department into a ‘weapon’ to sink the man running against him; Trump, sheepishly, said in an ad, “I’m an innocent man.” Biden fired back, denied he ever told the Justice Department what to do when it came to indicting Trump then, raising his eyebrows,…

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Pence’s Question

By Carter Wrenn 2023-06-14

The words Mike Pence said were powerful but the way he said them was mild – he sounded like a man walking through a park, staring up at the sky, talking about a cloudy day. Pence told about Trump telling him to throw out Biden’s Electoral College votes on January 6: ‘President Trump demanded that…

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Rachel Hunt Sets the Stakes

By Gary Pearce 2023-06-14

Rachel Hunt’s first ad in the lieutenant governor’s race is a striking statement about the power of the abortion issue in 2024 – and the stakes for women in North Carolina. It begins, “When Roe v Wade came to rural America, women woke up to a different world, a world with a bit more time.…

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A State-Owned Healthcare Monopoly

By Carter Wrenn 2023-06-13

For years Republicans believed free markets – not monopolies, not government – cured problems. It seems those days are past. UNC Healthcare – which owns hospitals and medical clinics across North Carolina – is controlled, owned, and subsidized by state government. And the State Senate just passed a bill to exempt it from anti-trust laws.…

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The Trials Ahead

By Gary Pearce 2023-06-12

A reader emailed: “Doing nothing heroic, I served in naval intelligence. My service required a top-secret clearance. Each time I saw a top-secret document, I recall saying to myself: ‘No wonder this is top secret.’  Similar reaction when I saw documents classified ‘secret,’ also reflecting compelling reasons to protect their confidentiality.  “Absorbing only what I…

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Just the Facts, Ma’am

By Gary Pearce 2023-06-10

Jack Smith looked a bit like Abe Lincoln and talked a lot like Sgt. Joe Friday. We saw and heard him Friday afternoon for the first time. In just under three minutes and just over 300 words – strong, striking, sledgehammer sentences – the special counsel laid out his case. “Good afternoon. Today, an indictment…

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Is Bipartisanship Dead?

By Gary Pearce 2023-06-08

At breakfast, a friend who has worked with the legislature for many years wondered if there is any hope for bipartisanship. “There are so many leadership-development groups in North Carolina,” he said. “Could they all come together and develop a new cohort of leaders and legislators who can work across party lines?” Given how toxic,…

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Democrats’ Country Inroads

By Gary Pearce 2024-04-25

New data shows that North Carolina Democrats are right to look for votes on country roads…

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A Lost Soul

By Carter Wrenn 2024-04-23

We don’t know much about him – he grew up in a village on the coast…

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Rachel Hunt and MAGA Meltdown

By Gary Pearce 2024-04-23

Two things this past weekend made me feel good about this election. First, I crashed a…

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