Tying It Together with Tim Boyum

Next year, North Carolina will host what is expected to be the most important and expensive U.S. Senate races in the country. This week, incumbent Thom Tillis' consultant, Jordan Shaw, joins host Tim Boyum in studio to talk about the Tillis campaign. The two also talk about the impact President Trump has on candidates and Sen. Tillis' potential Democratic opponents.  "The best politicians are the...

On this episode of Tying it Together, North Carolina's new House Speaker Destin Hall joins host Tim Boyum for a wide-ranging discussion about his new role and working with a new governor. At just 37, he's the state's youngest speaker ever, and he's not afraid to be frank. Speaker Hall also goes in depth with Tim on the major topics of today like Hurricane Helene relief, immigration and much more. ...

On this week's episode, host Tim Boyum talks with former Senior White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates. Bates, a North Carolina native and N.C. State grad, spent significant time in the White House with President Biden and on the campaign trail with him as well. He takes us behind-the-scenes of working in the high-pressure job, trips on Air Force One, Biden's decision to get out of the ra...

Attorney and former Democratic politician Wiley Nickel joins host Tim Boyum this week to talk about his time in Congress. Former congressman Nickel served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 13th district from 2023 to 2025. He tells Tim why he was so concentrated on gerrymandering during that time. "Gerrymandering isn't about the number of states, it's about the number of districts car...

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum gives us a look at what we can expect from Washington politics in 2025. He spent several days there during the recent snowstorm, sitting down with three newly elected members of Congress from North Carolina:  Rep. Pat Harrigan ,  Rep. Addison McDowell  and  Rep. Brad Knott . He also talks with Washington pundit  Doug Heye , who graduated...

This week, Tim Boyum interviews top Republican strategist Paul Shumaker about his analysis of the 2024 elections, and their implications for the future.  Shumaker has won five U.S. Senate races as a consultant and currently works for U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, who is up for reelection next year.  Shumaker offered insights into the race, including thoughts on Governor Cooper's possible run and poten...

A Tying It Together tradition — Billy Warden and Brian Lewis join Tim for yet another hilarious, and somehow, informative, look at the year in politics and a look ahead to 2025.  Billy Warden, chief strategy officer with RLF Communications, also sings his annual parody Christmas song. Brian Lewis, founder of New Frame, gives us some insight into what 2024 might mean for 2025.  It's always a fun to...

On this week's episode, we have a spirited debate over the words liberal and conservative.  What does it mean to be liberal or conservative? Do those terms automatically connect to Democrat and Republican?  This debate started during a recent TV segment between Charlotte City Councilman Tariq Bokhari and former mayor pro tem Braxton Winston, who also ran for Labor Commissioner this year. Sit back...

In a recent surprise, North Carolina Senate Democrats announced a new leader that was not Dan Blue. Sen. Sydney Batch will take his place next year after a decade of different leadership.  Sen. Batch joined host Tim Boyum to discuss her background in an incredibly successful family, working with her husband at their law firm, surviving breast cancer, and how she plans on leading Democrats much dif...

On this week's episode, longtime political guru John Hood joins host Tim Boyum to discuss the early days of launching one of North Carolina's first think tanks, and the impact all think tanks have in today's political world.  For over two decades, Hood directed the  John Locke Foundation  and presently authors a nationally syndicated newspaper column for over 50 newspapers. Recently, he's written...

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, top North Carolina Democratic strategist Morgan Jackson joins host Tim Boyum to break down the 2024 election from his perspective. The two break down North Carolina Governor-elect Josh Stein and other major positions going to Democrats, despite Donald Trump winning the presidency by a decent margin, and what national Democrats might learn from North Car...

After months of promises and debate, the 2024 presidential election likely came down to how people felt about the economy.  On this week's podcast, host Tim Boyum talks with two economists about the promises made, and what a Trump presidency might mean for the economy in terms of tariffs, product prices, interest rates, immigration and more. Our guests are N.C. State economist emeritus Dr. Michael...

As host Tim Boyum continues to look at the results of the 2024 election, longtime Republican Jim Blaine joins him to offer his perspective on why President-elect Donald Trump won. Despite Donald Trump's more than 3-percentage point victory in North Carolina, Democrats celebrated Election Day victories in races for governor, attorney general and the legislature. With the 2026 and 2028 elections in...

Fresh off the campaign trail, Spectrum News political reporters Taylor Popielarz and Cassie Semyon join host Tim Boyum to talk about their time following President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.  They reveal the struggles and triumphs of their journey, painting a vivid picture of life on the road, week after week, for months on end.  Their time with both political campaigns a...

  Just hours after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the presidential election, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley joins host Tim Boyum to discuss President Trump-elect's win. The two also touch on topics like whether the election was fair and secure, and what Trump will focus on first in January.  Later on, the discussion covers the North Carolina results and the potential...

Just days before election day, host Tim Boyum talks with two experts about the early voting numbers we are seeing and what it might mean in terms of momentum for one candidate or the other.  Republicans are seeing higher numbers, but are they new voters or just voters that previously voted on election day? Dr. Michael Bitzer, from Catawba College, and Dr. Chris Cooper, from Western Carolina Univer...

With early voting underway in North Carolina's crucial battleground election, state elections executive director Karen Brinson Bell joins host Tim Boyum this week to talk about the storm's impact on western North Carolina elections. She'll also discuss what we can expect if races get close. It comes as Gov. Cooper visited Asheville earlier in the week to reiterate to residents that everyone's voic...

This week, host Tim Boyum returns to the studio  after a recent road trip , sitting down with the region's top pollsters to talk about the election as early voting begins and campaigns begin their final push.  Tom Jensen , from Public Policy Polling, and  Dr. Scott Huffmon , from Winthrop University, are on hand with the latest trends in the presidential race, explaining why they're spending so mu...

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum, with photojournalist John Stampf, are wrapping their cross-country trip in a rented Tesla to test the realities of electric vehicles. They've talked with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season reporting along the way. Tim and John have arrived at Santa Monica Pier in Californi...

  Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum, with photojournalist John Stampf, are on the road. They're talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season. And they're making the journey in a rented Tesla, reporting as they go on the realities of charging stops and range anxiety while crossing the country in an EV. Ho...

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum, with photojournalist John Stampf, are on the road. They're talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season.  And they're making the journey in a rented Tesla, reporting as they go on the realities of charging stops and range anxiety while crossing the country in an EV. In...

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum is on the road, talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season. He is cranking out bite-sized podcasts along the way, and in his first edition, he is making his way up the Pennsylvania turnpike with photojournalist John Stampf in a rented Tesla.  On this stop, Tim reports...

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum is on the road, talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season. He is cranking out bite-sized podcasts along the way, and in his first edition, he is making his way up the Pennsylvania turnpike with photojournalist John Stampf in a rented Tesla.  Host Tim Boyum continues h...

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host, Tim Boyum, is on the road, talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season. He is cranking out bit-sized podcasts along the way, and in his first edition, he is making his way up the Pennsylvania turnpike with Photojournalist John Stampf in a rented Tesla.  After leaving the Philade...