State Republicans and Democrats should hold onto their money until they know the Democratic nominee for president, Anna Beavon Gravely, executive director of N.C. Free Enterprise Foundation, said during a post-primary briefing. Former Vice President Joe Biden had a good night on Super Tuesday, winning 10 states, including North Carolina, but it’s not 100% certain...
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper raised $605,649 — 7% of his 2019 campaign funds — from residents of New York and California, based on a Carolina Journal analysis of his campaign finance reports. But details about Cooper’s fundraising trips to those states are hard to come by. Two trips to New York are at the heart...
Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Here’s this week’s review: • Governor polling: A Feb. 12 High Point University poll found 40% of respondents approve of Gov. Roy Cooper’s job performance, and 31% disapprove. The poll surveyed...
The General Assembly will look a bit different after the 2020 session. Twenty-four lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats — have opted not to run for re-election. Institutional knowledge will shrink as experienced lawmakers leave the General Assembly, political scientists say. But the turnover may allow new issues and ideas to take center stage. See the...
The utility companies responsible for building the Atlantic Coast Pipeline were confident they would get the environmental permits they needed to start construction in North Carolina. What they didn’t know is whether they would win approval in time to avoid costly delays. The Cooper administration had leverage over the timing and appeared to use it...
One of the most significant documents in N.C. public education is being kept under lock and key. The WestEd report is supposed to restart proceedings in the Leandro court case. After 25 years, the dispute over education opportunities hasn’t found a conclusion. The parties in the long-running Leandro case agreed to commission an independent third...
A new poll from the Civitas Institute shows approval ratings for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper have started to tick down over the past seven months. Cooper’s approval numbers are above water, but they are starting to trend downward. A little more than 50% of likely N.C. voters approve of the governor’s job performance, down from...
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and N.C. Lt. Gov. Dan Forest this week gathered a roundtable of school-choice advocates to pitch Education Freedom Scholarships. The idea from the U.S. Department of Education is designed to enhance school-choice efforts. If approved by Congress, the proposal would grant $5 billion in tax credits to individuals and businesses...
State Rep. Holly Grange, a New Hanover County Republican, made it official. She’s running in 2020 for governor. Grange announced her bid Thursday, July 18, in a news release and video. Grange, who has served in the General Assembly since 2016, is a West Point graduate and served in the U.S. Army for 15 years....
Former Gov. Pat McCrory isn’t planning to go to Washington. Yet. The Republican announced Monday on his WBT radio program he would not seek the GOP nomination in the special election to fill the vacancy in the 9th U.S. Congressional District. He said his “fire in the belly” was in doing the daily radio show....
Female genital mutilation isn’t illegal in North Carolina, but a group of senators are introducing a bill to change that for girls younger than 18. State Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth, announced Jan. 30 she’s sponsoring a bill to ban the FGM on minors. North Carolina is one of 23 states that hasn’t yet made the...
