News
Mecklenburg sees 2nd statehouse Democrat flip to unaffiliated
Second Mecklenburg Democrat in three days switches to unaffiliated, as Rep. Nasif Majeed says the move frees him from party constraints to better serve constituents.
News
Rep. Carla Cunningham leaves the Democratic Party, registers unaffiliated
NC Rep. Carla Cunningham switches from Democrat to unaffiliated after primary loss, citing party shift and focus on serving constituents over politics.
Opinion
Stein vetoes, Democrats’ response could help shape NC policy
The new governor must decide how often to wield his veto stamp. Other Democrats will decide how often to support him.
Opinion
To what degree is politics a ‘team sport’?
This week, Democrats in the N.C. Senate filed a bill aimed at curbing defections from their party — clearly in response to the high-profile departure of Democrat-turned-Republican state Rep. Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County. The bill’s primary sponsors are Democrat state Sens. Natasha Marcus of Mecklenburg County, Michael Garrett of Guilford, and Sydney Batch of...
Opinion
Democrats needed Tricia Cotham in 2007 but then turned on her
North Carolina Democrats desperately needed a fresh-faced 29-year-old Tricia Cotham to succeed when she was appointed to Mecklenburg Counties House District 100 in 2007. The North Carolina Democratic Party was mired in corruption and scandal. The North Carolina Democrat party WAS the face of corruption and scandal. The North Carolina Democrats were the jailbird caucus. Cotham...
Opinion
Outrageous story of the week: Lame ducks squawking
A tectonic shift in N.C. politics happened this week as Mecklenburg County Democrat state House Rep. Tricia Cotham announced that she was switching parties and becoming a Republican. In other years, this might not be such a huge deal. But with a supermajority in the state Senate for Republicans and a state House that was...
Opinion
Less Intrigue, More Boring Work
There’s no real suspense about who’ll be running the North Carolina House. That will make 2007 different from every year since the 2001-02 session.
Opinion
Studying the Speaker Squabble
Down at the legislature, folks were pointing fingers Wednesday at Jim Black, Leo Daughtry, and Richard Morgan for creating a frustrating standoff. But the real culprit sits farther back in the chamber.
Opinion
The Heroic Jim Jeffords
By comparison to Rep. Michael Decker, whose switch to the Democrats last week created a 60-60 NC House, Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords is a paragon of political and civic virtue.
Opinion
8th District Race Narrows
Former Republican Judge Ray Warren has dropped out of the Democratic race to challenge U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes. He says it wasn't anti-gay bigotry or his party switch that hurt his effort. It was the fact that Warren is a Charlottean.
