Shows / Do Politics Better Podcast
Do Politics Better Podcast
A weekly look at North Carolina politics and the North Carolina General Assembly from two lobbyists’ perspectives. Hosted by lobbyists Brian Lewis and Skye David.
Episodes
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Medicaid Expansion Deal! And Sen. Lisa Grafstein’s First Floor Speech was Personal
Usually, a legislator's first floor speech is something easy. Maybe it's a point-of-personal-privilege after the business of the Senate has concluded or they…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Labor Commish Josh Dobson Exits in 2024: ’My Brand Don’t Fit the Times’
NC Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson announced in December 2022 he was not running for re-election to the post in 2024 nor would he seek any other elected office…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
100th Episode! And Sen Julie Mayfield, a Member of the Get (Stuff) Done Club
Sen. Julie Mayfield began her political career on the Asheville City Council in 2015 and five years later was elected to the General Assembly as a Democrat…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Rep. Ben Moss, a Blue Collar Railroad Worker and Republican Red
Rep. Ben Moss spent over 20 years working on the railroad and knows about hard (and dangerous) work. So while running for county commission in Democratic…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Rep. Garland Pierce: ’Some Issues I’m Willing to Vote with the Party in Power’
Rep. Garland Pierce is one of the longest serving members in the General Assembly. As a Democrat who was first elected in 2005, he knows what it's like to…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
A Car Crash Case Study in Crisis Communications
The hit-and-run charges against NC Auditor Beth Wood has become a daily news story for the last two weeks. Much of the talk in NC political circles is how the…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
The Eternal Optimism of Sen. Bobby Hanig, a Lifelong Underdog
Sen. Bobby Hanig fights for the underdog, because he is one. Whether it's growing up in poverty in the projects of Philadelphia, fighting county government on…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Opening Day of Session! And a Conversation with the ACLU of NC’s Ann Webb
The NC General Assembly opened its 2023-2024 biennium on Wednesday with a day of celebration, optimism, and bipartisanship (for the most part). This podcast…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
John Locke’s Donald Bryson is Ready for the 2023 General Assembly
One might assume the conservative John Locke Foundation gets everything it asks for from a Republican General Assembly. Well, the think-tank gets a lot, but…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Wrapping Up 2022 with Senators Danny Britt & Mike Woodard
Republican Senator Danny Britt and Democratic Senator Mike Woodard look back at the year in North Carolina politics, including their top stories and surprises…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Senator-elect Mary Wills Bode: ’I Really Want to Put in the Work’
Senator-elect Mary Wills Bode was elected to the NC Senate on November 8 after a grueling race that was watched closely by NC political observers. The…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
WUNC Capitol Reporter Jeff Tiberii: ’This is Your State Government’
Jeff Tiberii is the Capitol Bureau Chief covering the General Assembly and he hosts WUNC's biweekly Politics Podcast, roles he continues through the end of…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Live from Asheville! Western NC Politics with Professor Chris Cooper
The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a live recording of the Do Politics Better Podcast in front of an audience of over 120 people on November 30…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Great Expectations with Senator-elect Benton Sawrey
Senator-elect Benton Sawrey was elected to the NC Senate on November 8. The Johnston County Republican sits down with Skye and Brian to talk about his…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Mid-Term Election Results & a ’Working Supermajority’ with Sen. Kirk deViere
Sen. Kirk deViere joins Skye and Brian for this special edition of the podcast to unpack the mid-term elections in North Carolina, including the races for U.S…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Board of Elections Chair Damon Circosta Stoked About Voting, Surfing, & North Carolina
State Board of Elections Chair Damon Circosta talks about his early career in election reform advocacy, including a stint working for the late Sen. John…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Speaking to Speaker Moore’s Communications Director Demi Dowdy
Demi Dowdy is the Communications Director for House Speaker Tim Moore, a job that often has her in the room where it happens and working with journalists in…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Your Phone, TV & Computer Are Tracking & Selling Your Info to NC Political Operatives
NC political operatives have access to a voter file that indexes every voter on a scale from 0-100. Your Facebook likes, Instagram shares, iTunes purchases…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
’Oppo-Research’, the Underworld of NC Politics
Opposition (or "oppo") research is the most secretive and underground facet of North Carolina politics, but it's the foundation of most successful political…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Nathan Babcock & Morgan Jackson Break Down NC General Assembly Races
Nathan Babcock is a political consultant for Republican state Senate candidates and part of Morgan Jackson's job is to direct Governor Roy Cooper's political…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Wayne Goodwin’s Life of Learning, Love, & Loss
Wayne Goodwin grew up poor and with a father with debilitating mental health challenges. These two experiences shaped the Hamlet native and his politics. In…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Jim Burgin on the Power of Politics, Policy, & Prayer
Sen. Jim Burgin is a leader in the General Assembly on health care and mental health policy. The Harnett County Republican talks about his passion for the…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
The Assembly’s Kyle Villemain on ”Creating that ’Assembly’ for the State”
Kyle Villemain founded The Assembly, a digital magazine about North Carolina and its complex politics, in 2021. Skye and Brian sits down with Kyle to talk…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Judge Jefferson Griffin: From Fisherman to NC’s Highest Court?
Judge Jefferson Griffin has served on the NC State Court of Appeals since 2021. The Nash County native talks about his service in the state's court system, his…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Rep. John Autry’s Life, Travels, Careers, & Politics
Just about everyone knows about the infamous "bathroom bill" of 2016, however many don't know that Rep. John Autry was then a Charlotte City Councilman who…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Steve Jarvis: Builder, Foster Care Champion, & Nice Guy
Sen. Steve Jarvis is a builder by trade and is recognized as a legislative leader on homebuilding and construction issues. However, he is also just as…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Cross-Party Friendship & Learning at the NC Institute of Political Leadership
Sen. Amy Galey is an Alamance County Republican and Leonardo Williams is a Durham City Council Democrat. However, the two found friendship and leadership…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Lobbyist Brian Lewis: ’Doing Politics the Way I Want to Do It’
Sen. Jim Perry returns as the podcast interview host for a second week to talk with lobbyist Brian Lewis about his transient mobile home life in eastern North…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Turning the Microphone Around: Sen. Jim Perry Interviews Skye David
Lobbyist and podcast co-host Skye David is interviewed by Sen. Jim Perry, and she talks about her life, education, career, and work in North Carolina as a…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Newspaper Reporter Turned TV Journalist Travis Fain
WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain covers the General Assembly. The Georgia native talks about his career in journalism and his thoughts on the state…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Brent Woodcox & Donald Bryson Settle a Twitter Dust-Up
Brent Woodcox is Senior Policy Counsel to Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and Donald Bryson is President of the John Locke Foundation. Both are…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
House Chief of Staff Neal Inman is in the Room Where It Happens
Neal Inman, age 32, started his political career as an intern in 2012 for Rep. Julia Howard. A decade later he is the Chief of Staff to House Speaker Tim…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Late Night with Sen. Sarah Crawford: From David Letterman to the General Assembly
Before Senator Sarah Crawford arrived in the General Assembly in 2020, she was already a star. She was a guest on Late Night with David Letterman in 1989 as…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
The Last Days (and Hours) of the Short Session
The last days of the 2022 NC legislative short session, including bills moving, dying, and legislative maneuvering, from the viewpoint of lobbyists Skye David…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. DeAndrea Salvador: ’I Can Be a Little Puzzling to Folks’
Before arriving in the General Assembly in 2021, Sen. DeAndrea Salvador was already a star. The TED Talk fellow's 2018 TED Talk on energy policy has over 1.5…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Jim Perry on Life Without a Father & Life as a Father
Sen. Jim Perry has a beautiful family, is a successful businessman, and is a powerful state senator. However, his childhood is a different story. On this…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Retiring Rep. Grier Martin: ’It’s Time To Go’
Rep. Grier Martin announced last week he was resigning his legislative seat in July to take a job at the Pentagon. The Raleigh Democrat, who is a Afghanistan…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Warren Daniel on Western NC, West Point, & West Jones Street
Sen. Warren Daniel was one of the young guns in the General Assembly in 2011. His freshman class of Republicans had just ushered in GOP control of the Senate…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Health & Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley’s NC Homecoming
Kody Kinsley serves as Secretary of the NC Department of Health and Human Services, a position that puts the 36-year old in the middle of North Carolina…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
House GOP Caucus Director Stephen B. Wiley Wraps Up Primary Night
Stephen B. Wiley knows what it takes to win legislative races. As the NC House Republican Caucus Director, he's the campaign manager for 120 House races in the…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Short Session Preview with Rep. John Bell & Sen. Jay Chaudhuri
The General Assembly short session begins Wednesday, May 18 and House Majority Leader John Bell and Senate Democratic Whip Jay Chaudhuri preview what we can…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Mother’s Day is Doubly Special for Rep. Jimmy Dixon
Rep. Jimmy Dixon's mother was unmarried in 1944 when she was living and working in Wilmington, NC. She was also pregnant. In 1945, Rep. Dixon was born and an…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
The Life & Humor of Joe Stewart
Joe Stewart is a fixture in NC politics who is parts lobbyist, politico, historian, and stand-up-comic. The 35-year political veteran, who wears suspenders and…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes Talks Faith, Family, & Farming
If you eat sweet potatoes, there's a good chance that the delicious bounty came from the Nash County farm of Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes and her husband Johnny. The…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
LT McCrimmon, the Governor’s Lobbyist in the General Assembly
L.T. (La'Tanta) McCrimmon has one of the most challenging jobs in North Carolina politics: She serves as the Legislative Director for Governor Roy Cooper at…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Superintendent Catherine Truitt, from the Classroom to NC’s Top Education Leader
Superintendent Catherine Truitt taught ten years in the classroom before rising to the highest position in education governance in North Carolina. The veteran…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
The History Making Political Career of Sen. Dan Blue
Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue was arguably the most powerful political leader in North Carolina from 1991 to 1994 when he served as NC Speaker of the…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Michael Lee on Life, Loss, & Legislating
Sen. Michael Lee is a powerful Senate Education Committee Chair, a committee he leads with determination and humility. The New Hanover County Republican talks…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, a Trailblazer in NC Politics
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall talks about growing up on a farm, how 4-H changed her life, her decision to go to law school, and run for the NC Senate. The…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Brent Jackson: Farmer, Budget Writer, & Maybe Future Ag Commissioner
Senate Appropriations Chair Brent Jackson (R-Duplin/Johnston/Sampson) talks about growing up in Sampson County, farming watermelons, his decision to run for…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Catching Up, Looking Back with Former Rep. Rick Glazier
Former Rep. Rick Glazier was once one of the most powerful legislators in the General Assembly. The Fayetteville Democrat, who now leads the NC Justice Center…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Rep. Ashton Clemmons, from the School House to the NC House
Rep. Ashton Wheeler Clemmons is a bridge-builder at the General Assembly. The Greensboro Democrat is often in the negotiating room on some of the state's most…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
John Hood is the Conservative Movement’s Renaissance Man in NC
John Hood is an early pioneer in North Carolina’s conservative movement. He helped found found three major conservative institutions — the John Locke…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Turning the Microphones Around on News Anchor Tim Boyum
Veteran NC political reporter/anchor/podcaster Tim Boyum spends his days (and nights) covering state politics and interviewing political leaders for Spectrum…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Deanna Ballard, from the White House to the NC Senate
Sen. Deanna Ballard started her political career working for President George W. Bush. By the age of 30, she had an office in the East Wing of the White House…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Rep. Marcia Morey: Olympic Swimmer, Judge, & Legislator
Rep. Marcia Morey was ranked #2 in the world in 1976 in swimming (breaststroke), the year she represented the USA in the Montreal Olympics. However, systematic…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Senate Policy Advisor André Béliveau on Finding a Home, a ’Log Cabin’, Inside the GOP
André Béliveau is Senate Policy Advisor to Senator Paul Newton, one of the most powerful legislators in the General Assembly. In this role, André is involved…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
The Centrist Politics of Rep. Gale Adcock: ’My Job is to Find Common Ground’
Rep. Gale Adcock has served in the NC House since 2015, but she was no stranger to the General Assembly when she took office. As a Family Nurse Practitioner…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Sen. Amy Scott Galey, a Republican with Democratic Family Ties
Sen. Amy Scott Galey is a Republican from Alamance County, the home-place of the storied Scott Family, the very family that produced two North Carolina…
- Do Politics Better Podcast
Special Holiday Edition: Wrapping Up 2021 with Senators Jim Perry & Kirk deViere
Republican Senator Jim Perry and Democratic Senator Kirk deViere look back at the 2021 General Assembly session, including budget maneuvers, behind-the-scenes…