North Carolina’s tourism industry lost more than half of its jobs in the first part of 2020 following Gov. Roy Cooper’s lockdowns. Annual visitor spending decreased 32% from 2019. Buncombe County in particular took a significant hit. Visitor spending decreased by a whopping 34.9% from 2019, the 10th largest among North Carolina counties. Given the county...
Populists tend to say things like “the People have spoken” even though they are actually in the minority and “the People” have done no such thing.
Former Wilson County N.C. Sen. Buck Newton, the Republican nominee for state attorney general in 2016, is likely to run for public office in 2022, Newton confirmed in an interview with Carolina Journal. Newton won N.C. Senate District 11 in 2010, winning re-election in 2012 and 2014. Newton is an attorney by trade. In 2016, Newton was...
The U.S. Supreme Court's 1962 decision to open the door to redistricting disputes followed heated debate.
NC Senator Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, said, “[b]ut he is not a Black woman, and I can’t disagree with the voices that say we just need more of that perspective.” Erica Smith, former NC Senator stated, “Do we need another white man in the Senate? No, we do not.” Lori Gilcrist, director of a nonprofit, told...
Too many have bought into the widespread assumption that lower turnout tends to benefit Republicans. This constitutes little more than political folklore.
The opinion desk will start compiling some fun and outrageous stories from the week for readers of Carolina Journal. Some will highlight the absurdity of some of our political news or outrageous policy proposals, while others speak to moments from a crazed culture. Offering short commentary under the link to the story, I’ll mix it...
As the Biden administration tries to sidestep states refusing to expand Medicaid, all eyes are on North Carolina. It is one of only 12 states that have held out for a decade—and for good reason. Medicaid expansion has proven to be a disaster in every state it has been implemented. It has ballooned program enrollment,...
