On the cover

• Ballot battles

 

News

• Quick Takes, Pages 2-6

• Experts weigh in on election, reshaped General Assembly, Page 7

• North Carolina Republicans may hold all House seats despite Democratic gains nationwide, Page 8

• Constitutional amendments, Page 9

• For N.C. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, blue is the new red, Page 9

• State legislature: From Republican to Democrat — What happened and why, Page 10

• Timeline: UNC System Board of Governors Chairman Harry Smith, Page 12

• Polls, Page 24

 

Interviews

• Nadine Strossen: Free speech works better than censorship in fighting hate, Page 18

• Jonah Goldberg: The West is choosing to throw away sources of its prosperity, Page 19

 

Opinion

• Terry Stoops commentary: Who decides what public schools teach?, Page 14

• Mitch Kokai commentary: Complaints about gerrymandering hide critique of basic American electoral rules, Page 15

• Jay Schalin commentary: Time to break the mold for UNC presidents, Page 16

• Kristen Blair commentary: In high school, the easy ‘A’ is even easier, Page 17

• George Leef commentary: Who do college ‘chief diversity officers’ accomplish?, Page 17

• Editorial: Democrats and Republicans need to temper spending expectations, Page 20

• John Trump commentary: Increasing allowable sales: A fighting chance for businesses, Page 22

• Michael Walden commentary: Can small towns make a comeback?, Page 22

• Andy Taylor commentary: Impactful N.C. congressmen: From the Civil War to World War II, Page 23

• Becki Gray commentary: Blessings from my mother won’t be forgotten, Page 23

 

Commentary from John Hood

• Don’t backtrack on school choice, Page 21

• Falsehoods common in political debate, Page 21

• Suburbs hold the key to GOP future, Page 21