Do Politics Better Podcast

Rep. John Bradford is all energy, all optimism, all the time.  It's how he runs two businesses he founded ,  prioritizes time with his family, chairs the powerful House Finance Committee , and sponsors an impressive number of successful bills each session to help small businesses in North Carolina as well as the intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) community .   However, the Mecklenbu...

Author, podcaster , and media pro  Stephen Kent sits down with Brian to talk about his newly released book, How the Force Can Fix the World .  In these divisive times, the North Carolina native (who now lives outside of Washington, DC) uses Star Wars as a framework for how we can improve civility, understanding, and our political discourse.   Stephen also discusses his connection to North Carolina...

Rep. Matthew Winslow wasn't just raised by a teenage mom, he grew up with her, and they even attended college together.  The freshman Republican also talks about the importance of his faith and how it's led his family, career, politics, and how he sees those who do not share his values.   Brian and Skye also celebrate a state budget and review the ongoing shakeup in NC's congressional delegation a...

Rep. Joe John is a rare legislator with high level experience in all three branches of government.  Before his election to the NC House in 2016, Rep. John presided over court rooms as a judge, including service on the NC Court of Appeals from 1992-2000 . The Wake County Democrat also worked as the director of the NC State Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab.   Brian and Skye also review a non-voting...

Sen. Michael Lazzara talks about his career in politics, his early life in Sicily and Chicago, and how enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps led him to Camp Lejeune and a life in North Carolina.   The freshman Republican also discusses his love of pizza and how it led to his creation of  successful pizzerias in coastal communities in North Carolina .  Sen. Lazzara also explains how pizza could fix wh...

Rep. Ricky Hurtado talks about his family’s immigration story from El Salvador, growing up in Sanford, and the journey to Alamance County, where he won a NC House seat in 2020.   The freshman Democrat also talks about the national and state notoriety he attracted on the campaign trail , and he even reveals his winning “playbook”.  However, Rep. Hurtado wants more than just winning an election.  He...

Rep. Tim Moffitt returned to the General Assembly in 2020 after losing a tough re-election campaign in 2014.  The Henderson County Republican talks about his six years out of the legislature, lessons learned, and how it gave him a different perspective on leadership.   Rep. Moffitt also discusses chairing the House Alcohol Beverage Control Committee at a challenging time for the state's liquor dis...

Rep. Billy Richardson is an accomplished lawyer and legislator, but he was unlikely to be either until he confided in his high school English teacher that he could not read.  The Fayetteville Democrat discusses how a teacher and a novel she gave him changed his life forever. Rep. Richardson also talks about his legislative service in 1992-96 and 2015-present, including his pragmatic political phil...

Rep. Jimmy Dixon was raised by his grandmother on a farm before he went on to play football at Wake Forest on a scholarship and returned to Duplin County to build a farm that processed over 700,000 turkeys a year.   The Duplin County Republican talks of why he got into politics and why he is on a mission to educate his legislative colleagues on where their food comes from.   Brian and Skye also re...

Sen. Sydney Batch knows that if she's going to positively affect legislation in the Senate she's got to work across the aisle and through back channels.  The Wake County Democrat also compares her one term in the NC House with her current term in the NC Senate.   Brian and Skye also discuss the House and Senate budget agreement and negotiations with Governor Roy Cooper , a predicted veto of an exe...

Rep. Brenden Jones is as plain-spoken and to-the-point as legislators come at the General Assembly.  But, beneath the Columbus/Robeson County Republican's strong personality is someone with a deep and abiding faith, a love of family, and a servant's heart for a legislative district that relies on him to get the job done in Raleigh.   The Deputy Majority Leader also discusses his "odd couple" frien...

While Rep. Terry Brown is a freshman legislator, he's a throwback in many ways as he is known for his preparation and readiness to improve legislation in committees .  The Mecklenburg County Democrat talks about why he believes spending more time and focus on marking-up legislation before a floor vote makes for better policy outcomes and bipartisanship.   Rep. Brown also talks about being raised i...

If Rep. Erin Paré makes legislating at the General Assembly look easy it may have something to do with the fact she spent seven years on Capitol Hill as a federal lobbyist.   The freshman Wake County Republican also talks about her stint as a Washington (Redskins) cheerleader , how it led to meeting her military husband in Iraq , and how she now manages to juggle family, running a small business ,...

Rep. Brian Farkas is a moderate Democrat who thrives in a coin-toss Pitt County district that gives him the freedom to work across the political aisle.  The freshman legislator also talks about being one of the younger members in the General Assembly.  This week's podcast also welcomes guest-host Dylan Reel , counsel to House Rules Chairman Destin Hall , who is standing in for Brian Lewis as he ta...

Rep. Chris Humphrey is a Republican who knows how to win in a Democratic district, something he's been doing since he was elected as a La Grange town councilman and county commissioner in Lenoir County. The self-described moderate talks of how a Democratic activist convinced him to join the Republican Party in 1990. The former UNC classmate of Speaker Tim Moore also reveals what a failed 2010 prim...

Senator Don Davis is known for working across the political aisle at the General Assembly which, as he explains, is not easy in these polarizing times.   The eastern North Carolina Democrat also shares his story of being raised by his grandmother as his teenage mother defied the odds by continuing her education and was eventually reunited with her son.  A young Don Davis would go on to enter the A...

Sen. Paul Newton likes to say "good policy makes for good politics".   Learn more about the Republican Senate Finance Chair, his career at Duke Energy, and his life now as a "gentleman farmer" who runs a wedding venue with his wife (and dogs) in Cabarrus County. Brian and Skye also review a rollercoaster House budget week , what's next in the budget process, and share the latest on the riot bill ,...

Rep. Zack Hawkins , in his second term at the General Assembly, has already contributed to the passage of two major bills addressing elections and autism .  Learn how the Durham Democrat learned the importance of House rules, seeks opportunities to work across the political aisle, and finds inspiration from his two younger sons who are living with autism.   Brian and Skye also talk about the House...

House Justice & Public Safety Appropriations Chair Jamie Boles , who has represented Moore County since 2008, recalls the General Assembly transition from Democratic-control to Republican-control after the 2010 election , relates the funeral business to NC politics, discusses his side career as a fire truck driver and EMT, and shares how humor has served him in the General Assembly. Brian also ref...

House Democratic Leader Robert Reives talks about how his late mother impressed upon him the responsibility to serve his community with these words: "If it’s not you, who is it going to be?" Rep. Reives also talks about his role as the chief negotiator for House Democrats and his relationship with the House GOP Leadership, including  House Majority Leader John Bell , who is co-hosting the podcast...

Senator Vickie Sawyer shares her journey growing up in a trailer with a mother and father struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues to her service in the North Carolina Senate fighting for those who need a voice.   The Iredell County Republican also shares what it was like to face one of the most powerful North Carolina politicians in a 2018 primary, which against all odds she preva...

With the General Assembly on a holiday break this week, the podcast records from Carolina Beach and includes a visit from fellow beach vacationer President George W. Bush. The week before recess, Brian and Skye recorded a conversation with  Rep. Vernetta Alston , a Durham Democrat, who talks about her transition from local government service to serving in the General Assembly, her work as a death...

Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) opens up about his childhood and the role his grandparents played in raising him and shaping his life.  The powerful House Rules Chairman also talks about his leadership position and an unwritten rule he wants more House members to follow.  Brian and Skye also talk about the Senate Judiciary Committee's approval of a medicinal marijuana bill , Governor Cooper's veto o...

Senator Bill Rabon talks about his powerful position within the North Carolina Senate as the Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee , his old-school conservatism, his career has a veterinarian, and how his inability to hear affects the way he leads and legislates.   Brian and Skye also discuss the Senate budget , the process as it moves to the House, and the options for interest groups with a stak...

As the Senate prepares to propose its version of a spending and tax reform plan for the state, Brian and Skye talk with Senator Kirk deViere about his unique brand of politics, how growing up poor shaped him, and, of course, his pocket squares.   Plus, the energy bill is unveiled, a partisan vote on three elections bills in the Senate, a NC abortion bill could be heading to the US Supreme Court ,...