Carolina Journal

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The Debrief: After 484 days in captivity, Siegel freed by Hamas

This week on the Debrief, North Carolina native Keith Seigel is released from Hamas captivity, the latest in the ongoing battle over the NC Supreme Court election, lawmakers greenlight more money for western North Carolina, and a new bill would allow homeschool and private school kids to play sports for their local public school.

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Riggs, elections board signal plans to take ballot dispute back to federal court

The North Carolina State Board of Elections and state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs plan to take a ballot dispute back to federal court if they lose at the state court level. The board and Riggs both filed court documents Thursday confirming their plans to return to federal court if state courts rule in favor of Riggs’ opponent, Jefferson Griffin.

CJ Staff
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Bill would help curb student smartphone use during class

A bill introduced Wednesday in the North Carolina Senate aims to empower local school districts to restrict the use of smartphones and similar devices during instructional time in public schools. Senate Bill 55 — sponsored by Republican Sens. Michael Lee of New Hanover County, Jim Burgin of Harnett County, and Lisa Barnes of Nash County —...

David N. Bass
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Bill would repeal payroll dues deduction for state employee associations

A bill filed this week would end allowing state employees to automatically pay association dues straight from their paychecks. This would apply to members of employee associations like the state's two largest, the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) and the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC).

CJ Staff
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Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 to allocate additional $500 million for Helene relief

“As we know, this is a major issue that our state faces, and helping the people of Western North Carolina recover is the top priority of both chambers, and I think the entire state of North Carolina is on board with that,” said Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne.

Brianna Kraemer

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Locke’s Mitch Kokai assesses NC hurricane recovery challenges

Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses North Carolina state government’s response to Hurricane Helene and lingering issues tied to eastern NC hurricanes. Kokai offered these comments during the Jan. 31, 2025, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”

Mitch Kokai
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Carolina Journal’s Jeff Moore discusses NC Supreme Court election controversy

Jeff Moore, Carolina Journal deputy editor, discusses the ongoing legal dispute over North Carolina’s recent state Supreme Court election. Moore offered these comments during the Jan. 24, 2025, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”

Jeff Moore
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Locke’s Mitch Kokai analyzes ongoing NC Supreme Court election dispute

Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses three separate debates surrounding North Carolina’s state Supreme Court election dispute. Kokai offered these comments during the Jan. 24, 2025, Anderson Alerts “Supreme Court Special” live discussion.

Mitch Kokai
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Polls

November 2024 – General Election Renews Voter Optimism

RALEIGH — Optimism about the direction of the country and North Carolina has surged among voters following the 2024 general election, according to the latest Carolina Journal poll. Nearly half of voters (48%) believe the U.S. is headed in the right direction following the 2024 election, a 21-point increase since this question was last polled, while...

October 2024 – Trump and Harris in Dead Heat in North Carolina Battleground

RALEIGH – The race for president remains at a statistical tie in North Carolina, a key battleground state on the road to the White House. Former President Donald Trump (47.2%) is .6 points ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris (46.6%). The number of undecided voters has declined to 4.1%. Only 2% of voters say they...

September 2024 – Harris, Trump Race Tighter Than Ever in North Carolina

RALEIGH – The presidential race is tighter than ever in North Carolina. In the first Carolina Journal Poll following the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris (entering the field just hours after the second assassination attempt), Trump’s lead has shrunk to 0.3 points – well within the poll’s ±3.99%...

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State Government

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Riggs, elections board signal plans to take ballot dispute back to federal court

The North Carolina State Board of Elections and state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs plan to take a ballot dispute back to federal court if they lose at the state court level. The board and Riggs both filed court documents Thursday confirming their plans to return to federal court if state courts rule in favor of Riggs’ opponent, Jefferson Griffin.

CJ Staff

Elections

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Trump nominates Bishop to be deputy director for budget at OMB

"Dan has been a tireless fighter for our MAGA Movement in the House of Representatives on the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees," Trump said in a press release issued Tuesday night. "Dan will implement my cost-cutting and deregulatory agenda across all Agencies, and root out the Weaponized Deep State."

Theresa Opeka
News

Democrats want federal court to address GOP challenge of 60,000 NC ballots

The North Carolina Democratic Party filed a lawsuit Friday to ensure challenges of 60,000 ballots in the state's latest election are addressed in federal court. Republicans filed the challenges with the State Board of Elections. The challenges could affect the outcome of the state Supreme Court race between Democrat Allison Riggs and Jefferson Griffin, along with a handful of state legislative contests.

CJ Staff

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