WUNC Politics

The abuse and neglect of a child in Charlotte prompted state lawmakers to pass stronger child welfare regulations as part of the newly enacted budget bill.

The Dominique Moody Safety Act was passed in the state House and later added to the state budget bill. It addresses the death of six-year-old Dominique Moody, who was abused and neglected while living with a relative despite visits to the home by social workers and law enforcement. WUNC News sat down with the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Allen Chesser, R-Nash, to learn more about how the legislation aims to prevent fu...

The legislature largely wrapped up its 2026 short session this week with the arrival -- and quick passage -- of the long-delayed state budget bill. We’re sharing our This Week in State Politics segment, where WUNC News' Dave DeWitt and Colin Campbell are joined by NC Newsroom's  Adam Wagner to discuss what's in the budget, and why it got support from many Democrats. You can hear the segment – and our analysis of each week’s political news – on Friday mornings during Morning Edition on WUNC News.

The long delays in the state budget process are hurting teacher retention in rural districts like Halifax County, and it’s just one of the many funding challenges these districts are facing amid uncertain funding.

To better understand how the funding challenges are playing out in rural schools, WUNC News' Colin Campbell took a trip to Halifax County – about 80 miles northeast of Raleigh and seemingly a world away economically. Halifax County Schools Superintendent Eric Cunningham explained how the state budget affects its schools, its teacher retention and its ability to afford new school buildings and programs.

With a growing population and skyrocketing construction costs, the N.C. Department of Transportation needs more help to build and improve roads and infrastructure across the state.

If you’re driving around a high-growth area of the state, there’s a decent chance you might be stuck in traffic – and those daily bottlenecks are only getting worse. The Department of Transportation knows exactly where it needs to widen roads and build new ones to ease that congestion. But with inadequate revenue from the gas tax, construction on those improvements could be years away. DOT has a list of $14...

Legislative leaders recently announced state employee raises as part of an initial budget agreement, but how much workers will receive will vary greatly depending on what they do for state government. The State Employees Association of North Carolina, better known as SEANC, says the 3% raise for most state employees is "not going to cut it" amid inflation and higher healthcare premiums. And while some workers like correctional officers, state law enforcement officers and teachers would get more, other hard-to-fill positions appear to be left out. 

WUNC News' Colin Campbell spoke with SEANC executive director Ardis Watkins about t...

A group of high school and college students want state lawmakers to crack down on the loosely regulated sales of vaping products. They're pushing for action on a bipartisan bill filed last year to regulate retailers that sell tobacco and vape products and ban sales to people under age 21. The legislation has been parked for months in the Rules committees without a hearing. The Tobacco 21 Coalition Youth Council recently came to the legislature to push for movement on the bill. UNC-Chapel Hill student Taylor Ward and Lake Norman Charter School student Pranika Senthil joined WUNC News' Colin Campbell to...

Senate leader Phil Berger lost his primary in March to Rockingham County sheriff Sam Page by just 23 votes. When the margin is that close, every factor that influenced at least 23 voters could be considered the deciding element in the race. Berger’s support for a controversial casino wasn't the only aspect of Berger’s legislative record that faced criticism during the primary.

Sheila Mikhail, a prominent biotechnology executive in the Triangle, spent more than $200,000 on the race for a very different reason. She’s been advocating for a bill that would require insurance companies to cover supplemental breast...

Duke Energy says it needs to increase your power bill, and the fate of that request will soon be decided by a commission that recently changed to a Republican majority. The N.C. Utilities Commission has been holding a series of public hearings about Duke Energy’s plan to increase residential rates by up to 18 percent over the next two years. 

Duke says the rate increase is needed to keep up with higher demand for electricity and the need for a more modern grid that can handle storms with fewer outages. To learn more about what’s happe...

North Carolina’s prison system is struggling with hundreds of vacant positions as the starting pay remains stuck around $18 an hour. Correctional officers are leaving in droves for better pay elsewhere. There’s not enough money to pay the bills for basic operations. And the state’s 55 prison facilities have more than a billion dollars in deferred maintenance needs, from air conditioning systems to fire alarms.

Much of the problem stems from the legislature's inability to pass a budget, and Gov. Josh Stein is asking for "critical needs" funding to begin addressing the problems. To better understand the is...

Williamston accountant and minister Patricia Smith pulled off an upset in this month’s primary over a six-term incumbent known for crossing party lines.

Rep. Shelly Willingham, D-Edgecombe, was one of three moderate Democrats who helped give House Republicans what they call a “working supermajority” and lost their primaries. Willingham had survived previous attempts to unseat him in a primary, and while Stein endorsed a challenger to Rep. Carla Cunningham in Charlotte, he didn’t make any endorsements in the race to represent Edgecombe, Martin and Bertie counties. WUNC News' Colin Campbell spoke with Smith about her campaign...

North Carolina's primary brought rebukes to incumbent legislators in both parties, including a razor-thin margin in the closely watched GOP primary challenge to Senate leader Phil Berger. Why did voters reject some longtime leaders in state politics? Why did Berger's home county turn against him in favor of Sheriff Sam Page? And what's next in the vote-counting process and this year's legislative session? To sort through the results, WUNC News' Colin Campbell spoke with Adam Wagner, who covers politics for the North Carolina Newsroom.

The 2026 North Carolina primary is almost here, and so for this week’s episode, we’re taking a closer look at four of the biggest races on the ballot, from the U.S. Senate to a legislative primary with major stakes. WUNC News Supervising Editor for Politics Dave DeWitt discusses the dynamics of each race -- from outside ad spending to endorsements -- with Capital Bureau Chief Colin Campbell and NC Newsroom Editor Adam Wagner.

This is the sixth and final episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing.

Soil contamination from long-ago trash incinerators has prompted Durham to close five of its parks for the past two years, and they’re still not close to a final solution to the issue.

Soil testing in 2024 found potential lead contamination in the parks, and the city closed off playgrounds, athletic fields and other amenities to do additional testing and come up...

This is the fifth episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing.

About 20 beach houses have recently collapsed into the ocean in Buxton on the Outer Banks. Local leaders there say the cause isn't just climate change or sea-level rise. They blame a deteriorating jetty installed by the U.S. Navy decades ago to protect a Cold War submarine monitoring station. Local and federal officials have responded to the rapid erosion by promising beach renourishment and...

This is the fourth episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing.

A few years ago, the Coharie Indian Tribe launched an effort to clean out debris from the Great Coharie River near their headquarters in Sampson County. That led to a unique recreation and tourism initiative where members of the Coharie Tribe lead visitors on guided kayaking trips down the river. WUNC News' Colin Campbell recently hopped in a kayak to learn more about how...

This is the third episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing.

The floodwaters of Helene in 2024 washed away much of the spa and resort for which the town of Hot Springs is named, along with many homes and businesses. But the small town north of Asheville has rebounded over the past year, rebuilding shops and houses with private donations and volunteer labor. Leaders there say help from the state and federal government has been slow...

This is the second episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing.

For more than two years, Williamston’s local hospital has sat empty. The closure of Martin General Hospital has meant much longer ambulance rides and big concerns about the state of healthcare in this rural county. But local leaders are hopeful the building could reopen soon as a smaller facility known as a rural emergency hospital -- if the state legislature approves funding for a...

This is the first episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing.

For the past 65 years, Saint Andrews University has been a major economic engine for the small town in Scotland County. That all changed on May 5, when the university shut down for good after years of financial challenges. County leaders have been working to draw industry and development to multiple sites, and they hope the St. Andrew’s campus can be one of them. 

T...

The North Carolina Chamber serves as the voice for businesses large and small in this state, and when it endorses or opposes legislation, state lawmakers from both parties take notice. To get an update on the NC Chamber’s advocacy efforts in 2025 and what’s ahead in 2026, WUNC's Colin Campbell visited the group's office to speak with president and CEO Gary Salamido. 

Salamido also weighed in on the ongoing battle between House and Senate Republicans over scheduled income tax cut triggers and the broader budget stalemate, and provided an update on the Chamber's new program to help small...

Gov.Josh Stein is wrapping up his first year in office. It’s been a year marked by hurricane recovery efforts in Western North Carolina and fights with the legislature over taxes, Medicaid and more in Raleigh. He joined WUNC's Colin Campbell to discuss the big issues of 2025 and what’s ahead next year, from the primary to property taxes

The 2026 campaign season has officially kicked off (although many campaigns have been going for months now) with the start of candidate filing. 

With the primary less than three months away, we're digging into the races worth watching, from Congress to legislature to the Wake County district attorney. Two political reporters, Adam Wagner of the NC Newsroom and Dawn Vaughan of The News & Observer, join WUNC's Colin Campbell for the conversation. 

Local news is a tough business these days, with journalists routinely laid off and small-town newspapers closing up shop. But North Carolina’s journalism scene does have success stories. 

WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with the leaders of two locally owned media companies that are seeing growth. David Woronoff owns The Pilot, a thriving newspaper in Southern Pines, and magazines including Business North Carolina and Walter. Kyle Villemain started The Assembly in 2021, and it’s since grown to a staff of 43 people producing in-depth stories on all things North Carolina. They discussed the business models that can work to su...

At age 88, former Gov. Jim Hunt continues to be a prominent figure in state politics, but the state’s growth means that many North Carolinians weren’t around during his record 16 years in office. So to better understand what he accomplished and what lessons his political career offers for today’s landscape in state politics, WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with longtime Hunt aide and biographer Gary Pearce. Pearce says Hunt's powers of persuasion helped him expand the influence of the governor's office and improve the state's education system.

North Carolina no longer has any particularly competitive Congressional districts, thanks to the new map passed this week at President Donald Trump’s request. To get a better sense for how the new districts will play out in the courts and in next year’s midterm landscape, WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper. Cooper says odds aren't favorable for Democrats to pull off an upset victory in any of the GOP-leaning districts.

The 33-member N.C. House Freedom Caucus notched some major policy victories this year, defeating a proposal from Senate leaders to ban shrimp trawling while getting a gun-rights bill to the governor’s desk.

WUNC's Colin Campbell spoke with the Freedom Caucus’ chairman, Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, to find out how the legislative process unfolded. Kidwell also weighed in on the ongoing budget stalemate, the Freedom Caucus' role in next year's legislative elections, and his work on the new House Select Committee on Government Efficiency.

North Carolina’s Medicaid system is grappling with funding shortfalls, both from the state budget and from the Congressional megabill. The state Department of Health and Human Services says it will reduce provider reimbursement rates and cut coverage for popular weight-loss drugs if state lawmakers don’t approve additional funding.

And beyond that issue, more funding will be needed in the future to handle new Medicaid work requirements that were part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill. That bill also includes potential cuts to the program known as food stamps. WUNC's Colin Campbell sorts throug...

The state’s most conservative lawmakers have for years formed the House Freedom Caucus, and now there’s a similar caucus for legislators on the left.

The House Progressive Caucus formed this year and has about a dozen members, as well as a political action committee that will be involved in legislative elections next year. Two caucus members, Reps. Marcia Morey of Durham and Pricey Harrison of Greensboro, spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about the caucus' efforts to make a difference in a legislature dominated by Republicans. 

Note: This episode was recorded prior to the news...

Can North Carolina’s troubled DMV finally turn the corner after years of long lines and finger-pointing about who or what’s to blame? Several months into his new job as DMV commissioner, Paul Tine says the agency is now making progress. Staff vacancies are being filled, and the legislature recently approved more staff positions and several new DMV offices. Tine spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell after State Auditor Dave Boliek’s scathing audit report, which found that average DMV wait times have increased to an hour and 15 minutes. He says the agency is already working on many of the is...

North Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate race officially kicked off as former Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley have formally launched their campaigns for the seat where Sen. Thom Tillis isn’t seeking another term. To get a better sense of what we can expect from the campaign and the two leading candidates, WUNC's Colin Campbell sat down with two of the state’s top political strategists. Jim Blaine is co-founder of the firm The Differentiators and the former chief of staff to Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, and Kimberly Reynolds is a co-founder of the fi...

North Carolina’s ballot access laws create an uphill battle for third parties seeking to get their candidates on the ballot, requiring more than 14,000 registered voters to sign their petition for access. Five of those parties were on the ballot in last year’s election, and six have started the petition process for the 2026 election cycle.

But only one party so far has made any serious progress toward getting 14,000 signatures. That’s the North Carolina Forward Party, which had amassed 2,200 signatures so far. 

The Forward Party’s chair, Patrick Newton, spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about the...

A wide-ranging healthcare bill that was recently signed into law would make it easier to get flu medications and make it easier for medical professionals to practice in North Carolina. It was among several noteworthy bills that made it across the finish line just before lawmakers left for their summer break. Because they were complicated and non-controversial, they got overshadowed by bills on hot topics like DEI and LGBTQ issues. Sen. Benton Sawrey, R-Johnston, helped develop the legislation and joined WUNC's Colin Campbell to discuss its impacts on the state's healthcare system. Sawrey also addressed the potential impacts of...

House Democratic Leader Robert Reives says the legislature has been “getting nothing done” this year as it heads to a summer break. He faults Republican leaders for focusing on culture war issues instead of getting a budget agreement. Reives spoke with WUNC’s Colin Campbell about his assessment of this year’s legislative session, the likelihood that his party can sustain Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes, and Democrats’ prospects in the 2026 legislative elections.

Since Republican Dave Boliek won last year’s election, the position of state auditor has been getting more powerful. He’s now responsible for appointing and overseeing the State Board of Elections, and lawmakers want to put him in charge of a sweeping government efficiency review. He’s also been auditing the Division of Motor Vehicles and hurricane recovery spending. Boliek spoke with Colin Campbell about that work and other action in his first five months in office.

Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, is the only lawmaker who’s been in office since the early 1980s, but the former House speaker is no longer serving as Senate minority leader after his fellow Democrats backed Sen. Sydney Batch for that role instead. But Blue says he’ll still have a key role in Senate action, and he's "freed up to play diplomat" on issues like healthcare, education and affordable housing. He spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about his work this session, why he voted for the GOP budget, and his thoughts on how state politics has changed since he was...

Amid all the culture wars and controversies at North Carolina’s legislature, some legislation features Republicans and Democrats quietly working together. There are plenty of examples of bills developed by lawmakers from both parties working together, ultimately leading to unanimous votes with no debate. Rep. Laura Budd, D-Mecklenburg, is one of the few Democrats who's sponsored bills that passed the House this year. She spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about how she's developed relationships across the political divide and the legislation she's developed with GOP colleagues. Budd also spoke about her concerns with the House budget bill, and the aw...

The N.C. House recently passed a bill to allow the state treasurer to invest state pension funds in cryptocurrency and other digital assets. Rep. Mike Schietzelt, the first-term Republican who made the case for the bill on the House floor, speaks with WUNC's Colin Campbell about the advantages of cryptocurrency investments and the risk concerns raised by opponents. Schietzelt also discussed his bills to create tax exemptions for retired government employees and an "open enrollment" proposal to let families choose any school in their district. And he explains his approach to winning a competitive Wake County House district...

Earlier this month, former Congressman Wiley Nickel became the first Democrat to officially launch a campaign in North Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate race. He’s an attorney and former Barack Obama aide who represented Wake County in the state Senate before being elected to Congress in 2022 from one of the state’s only swing districts. He spoke with WUNC about how he plans to take on incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, the prospects that former Gov. Roy Cooper could enter the race, and what he thinks Democrats should do differently to fight the Trump administration. 

For years, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has been plagued by long wait times and poor service. It’s a major problem in one of America’s fastest-growing states. And in the age of DOGE and government efficiency, it's generating talk of some dramatic solutions. This week, we're sharing an episode on the issue from one of WUNC's other podcasts, The Broadside.

Featuring:

Budget season at the state legislature has officially kicked off with the release of Gov. Josh Stein’s budget recommendations. He’s calling on lawmakers to pause scheduled corporate and personal income tax cuts to avoid projected revenue shortfalls starting next year. He says those revenue drops will make it difficult to fund teacher raises and other major investments in state government, but Republican legislative leaders aren’t eager to change course on tax cuts. Kristin Walker is the state budget director, overseeing the economists who develop the revenue forecast. She joined WUNC's Colin Campbell to discuss the details of tho...

As North Carolina schools face staffing shortages, both Republicans and Democrats are pushing for bigger raises for starting teacher pay -- but the proposals could face tough odds in a tight budget year.

Gov. Josh Stein’s proposal to increase starting teacher pay above $50,000 is similar to one filed recently by Republicans in the state House. Rep. Erin Paré, R-Wake and sponsor of that bill, was appointed this year to help lead the budget process. She spoke with Colin Campbell about the teacher pay plan and its prospects in the legislature. Paré also discussed her bills to offe...