Tag Archives: #ncpol

What’s in a Name? (Senate 19)

April 2, 2018 By in Fayetteville Politics, NC Politics Tags: , 4 Comments

Guest Post by Andrew Porter

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What’s in a name?

In the information age, election ballots are a vestige of an age gone by. It’s literally a list of names, and you are provided nothing but the name when you vote. You would think with electronic voting devices that you could at least get a hyperlink to more information, but no, the uninformed voter must rely on the cadre of poll workers stumping outside for their candidate. This often an intimidating and obnoxious group (myself an annual member) that many voters pass by without a word.

The informed voter is not exempt from this challenge. Finding information beforehand on down ballot candidates can be daunting. These voters normally rely on newspaper articles or candidate websites that provide little or no information on substantive issues. So what is a voter to do? Pick the best name.

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54 Torpedoes or Sacrificial Lambs?

March 26, 2018 By in NC Politics Tags: , 1 Comment

Below is a seemingly unimportant statistic, but it has the potential to change the direction of North Carolina politics for the next decade:

  • Number of Uncontested, General Election, Legislative Races in 2016: 54
  • Number of Uncontested, General Election, Legislative Races in 2018: 0

Due to severe partisan (and racial) gerrymandering, North Carolina’s counties are littered with “safe” legislative districts that favor a political party over another.  Because Republicans drew the lines, Republicans are favored more often.  Win the partisan primary in one of these districts, you get to go to Raleigh. Continue reading →

New vs. Old in Senate 19

March 22, 2018 By in Fayetteville Politics, NC Politics Tags: 1 Comment

The boundaries of Senate District 19 have been re-drawn.  I will not go deep into the history of the court battle that lead to the changes, but the district was drawn in 2010 to exclude as many African Americans as possible, and the federal courts did not find that constitutionally permissible.  Republican Wesley Meredith won the seat in 2010 and has had little trouble beating down the opposition every two years since.

All that may or may not change this year.  The lines no longer favor a Republican and make up what FLIPNC calls the third most “flippable” Senate District in North Carolina.

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Blue Wave or Ripples in November?

March 14, 2018 By in NC Politics Tags: 1 Comment

A picture is all this post really needs, so here it is, from the special election for a congressional seat in Pennsylvania yesterday.blue wave

As you can probably tell, there’s not a lot of red on that map.  A district that Trump won by 20 points a year and a half ago has now gone to a Democrat.

One theme of this site is whether all politics is local.  This is a prime case study of that question, and your answer depends on which way you spin it.

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Will Environment Matter in 2018?

March 2, 2018 By in Fayetteville Politics, NC Politics Tags: 2 Comments

For the first time in my memory, Cumberland County residents are coming face to face with the environmental impacts of industrial expansion.  The two making headlines are the GenEx disaster and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. cape fear

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline has drawn major criticism in this County, which prompted industry leaders to change to route of the pipe further to the east across the river.  Presumably, this would cause fewer interactions with residential areas.  Still, the pipe is on its way, angry landowners are losing property to make way for the pipe, and environmental groups are holding demonstrations.  Governor Cooper is taking heat for his apparent support, among other things.

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