Thursday, May 3, 2018
The jockeying for power in Washington and Raleigh spills into the voting booth with next week's North Carolina primary. Mike Collins looks at the races and the candidates in a "News and Brews" special from Birdsong Brewing Co.
The race to the November midterm completes its first lap in next Tuesday’s primary. These will be the first votes in an election that could tip the balance of power in Washington and Raleigh.
Republicans in the Charlotte-area’s 9th Congressional District are deciding to whether incumbent Robert Pittenger or challenger Mark Harris is the biggest supporter of the president. Democrats, who also have a primary in the district, hope a "blue wave" will flip it and other congressional seats.
Several Mecklenburg County lawmakers face primary challengers for General Assembly seats ahead of what was already going to be a unique - and possibly historic - general election in which no legislative seat is going unopposed.
Before the polls open, we talk with two longtime observers of state politics about the races they’re watching and what to look for in next week’s results, and the chairs of the local Republican and Democratic parties about their party’s prospects, statewide and nationally.
GUESTS
Dr. Michael Bitzer, Catawba College, Department of Politics chair (@bowtiepolitics)
Jim Morrill, political reporter, The Charlotte Observer (@jimmorrill)
Chris Turner, chair, Mecklenburg County Republican Party
Jane Whitley, chair, Mecklenburg County Democratic Party
Early voting for the primary ends Saturday, May 5 at 1 p.m. Find early voting sites in your county here.