Ray Martin, The Differentiators’ Other Half

Do Politics Better Podcast · Oct 15, 2026 · 53m

Before he became one half of The Differentiators, political operative Ray Martin was a journalist with a knack for covering the people and institutions that shape our local communities in NC.

Ray got his start as a high school sports stringer for his hometown newspaper in Oklahoma. After college, he won a fellowship that gave him the opportunity to work in a newsroom, choosing The News & Observer, where he covered local government and developed an inside look at how decisions get made.

In 2011, Ray made the jump from journalism to politics, going to work for Jim Blaine inside the General…