The N.C. Association of Educators predicted 50,000 teachers or more marching on Raleigh. The crowds were less than a tenth of that size. We also touch on the tragedy at UNC Charlotte, the 3rd Congressional District primary and the Senate veto o

The weirdest argument against the "Born Alive" act

Apr 30th, 2019 7m 59s

As the Senate considers an override of Gov. Cooper's veto on the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, an unusual argument has emerged against it — that Republicans should have considered the bill earlier.--- Support this podcast: h

Poking holes in N.C. Democrat legislative priorities

Apr 29th, 2019 22m 54s

We break down the problems with the 11 bills the state Democratic Party has listed as representative of their policy proposals. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/longleaf-politics/support

Important House budget proposals you won't read in the news

Apr 26th, 2019 13m 18s

The N.C. House is rolling out its budget priorities for the 2019 biennium, and there's a lot to digest. We go through a couple important elements that you won't read about in the mainstream media.To find the links to budget documents I mention

Will House Bill 2 be a campaign issue in 2020?

Apr 25th, 2019 13m 26s

The answer is yes, but not in the way you might expect. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/longleaf-politics/support

Early voting begins. Who goes negative in the 9th?

Apr 24th, 2019 9m 32s

We record live from the early voting polls as the 9th Congressional District special election gets underway. Candidates are going negative on one person only so far. Will that change?--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/

Political fact-checking is broken in North Carolina

Apr 23rd, 2019 21m 42s

The concept of "fact-checking" was pretty revolutionary when it was popularized by PolitiFact in 2007. But over time, its meaning has diminished — particularly in North Carolina. We dive deep into two recent fact-checks from the News & Observer

Club for Growth makes big endorsement

Apr 23rd, 2019 5m 16s

Plus will Republicans have time to come together and win back the executive mansion?--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/longleaf-politics/support

Jeff Jackson challenging Tillis ... at least on Twitter

Apr 19th, 2019 4m 47s

State Sen. Jeff Jackson wades into the Mueller debate and the National Association of Realtors PAC drops $1.3 million in a primary. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/longleaf-politics/support

What the “Born Alive” act is really about

Apr 18th, 2019 11m 37s

After Gov. Cooper vetoed the Born Alive act, the rhetoric quickly got out of control. We parse what this bill is actually about. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/longleaf-politics/support

"Born Alive" opponents can't get story straight

Apr 17th, 2019 14m 12s

As the "Born Alive Abortion Survivors Act" heads to Gov. Cooper's desk, we look into the two contradictory counterarguments being put forward by the left. Then we discuss Rev. William Barber being allowed back at the General Assembly building a

Dan Bishop leads the $$ race

Apr 16th, 2019 8m 24s

We take our first look at first quarter fundraising filings in the 9th Congressional District then touch on a strong statement from Iredell-Statesville Schools about keeping class in session on May 1. --- Support this podcast: https://podca

Why Dallas Woodhouse just announced he’ll step down

Apr 15th, 2019 8m 2s

NCGOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse said today he’ll leave the job in June when his contract expires. It’s not really a surprise, and we discuss why. Also, get to know Gov. Cooper’s two new picks to the state Court of Appeals. --- Sup

What the NCGOP needs in its next chairperson

Apr 12th, 2019 14m 47s

We catch up with Lawrence Shaheen, a Charlotte attorney and recently elected chairman of the Mecklenburg County Young Republicans. The Meck YRs recently published a statement calling for a "fresh start" and new leadership in the wake of the ind

Wake, Meck schools cave to striking teachers

Apr 11th, 2019 15m 48s

North Carolina's two largest school districts — Wake and Mecklenburg — have now both said they'll cancel classes on May 1 to allow teachers to attend the N.C. Association of Educators rally/strike in Raleigh. We go into why the NCAE is disingen

Does N.C. REALLY want a third party? | Secret Medicaid expansion | Voter ID “fix”

Apr 10th, 2019 11m 28s

We go over a few of the day's top headlines, including a Meredith poll that says both Republicans and Democrats think we need a viable third party in state politics. I explain why that's not going to happen and might not be the best idea to pur

Will Charlotte-Mecklenburg consolidation ever happen?

Apr 9th, 2019 13m 5s

For decades now, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have been talking about consolidating their governments. They've taken small steps forward, coordinating on certain services like police, water, and parks. Now more coordination for land develop

We need more $ in politics, not less

Apr 8th, 2019 9m 48s

Usually, the media reports on political contributions as something underhanded and nefarious. And yes, it’s important to watchdog money in politics — as the recent indictments prove. But there are plenty of good reasons to contribute to candida

Why N.C. can’t seem to have an honest conversation about education

Apr 4th, 2019 28m 34s

North Carolina can’t seem to have an honest conversation about education. We’ll get into why. First, the media unfairly paints the NCGOP as out to destroy public education. Second, we can’t decide on what numbers are fair. And third, we don’t h

Will the Robin Hayes scandal spread?

Apr 3rd, 2019 13m 15s

A day after NCGOP chairman Robin Hayes was indicted along with a major political donor, the big questions is: Who else might get wrapped up in the scandal? We examine the connections Wayne Goodwin, Mark Walker and Dan Forest have with Greg Lind

Robin Hayes INDICTED. Is there a silver lining for the NCGOP?

Apr 2nd, 2019 11m 13s

The Longleaf Podcast is back in a new format! North Carolina’s best political commentary on the day’s top news. Today, we take on Robin Hayes’ indictment. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/longleaf-politics/s

Episode 025: Fording Cross Creek with Matt Richardson

Nov 30th, 2018 21m 28s

We chat with the author of Cumberland County's new political blog Cross Creek Divide on the state of Fayetteville politics, Cumberland as a bellwether county, the turmoil in the 9th Congressional District, and the value that political bloggers

Episode 024: What Democrats get wrong about gerrymandering

Nov 12th, 2018 7m 32s

Is it gerrymandering or geography? In this episode, we take on the most common counterarguments to the piece in this week's Longleaf Politics newsletter about why Democrats won a majority of the statewide vote but a smaller percentage of seats.

Episode 023: 5 ways to stay involved in politics after the election

Nov 11th, 2018 7m 17s

The 2018 elections had extraordinarily high turnout for a midterm year. Thousands more people, from all political persuasions, were involved. Here are five ways to keep it up between now and the next election, ranked by how easy they are.---

Episode 022: Bad candidates

Nov 9th, 2018 7m 34s

We're back with a mini-episode about candidates for political office who aren't just flawed, but actually on record saying reprehensible things. A recent example is Russell Walker, a N.C. House candidate on the Republican ticket who made racist