People in Politics November 15, 2014 Print
People In Politics
Thursday, 20 November 2014 08:57

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Stinging from the midterm election defeat that saw them lose a U.S. Senate seat and fail to gain appreciably in the state legislature, North Carolina Democrats are trying to rebuild their party and look for a winning strategy in 2016. Host Donna Martinez talks with Democratic political strategist Thomas Mills about the challenges Democrats face, whether a new party chairman can bring the party back, and what 2016 could look like. Then we turn to lingering questions about polling leading up to the midterms. The vast majority of pollsters failed to accurately predict the voter makeup, but one North Carolina firm was one of the few to accurately predict a Thom Tillis win over Kay Hagan. Martinez talks with Francis DeLuca of the Civitas Institute about what his pollster did right and what they’ll be looking at down the road. Next is a look at the criticism being heaped on Democrat Clay Aiken by some of his Hollywood contributors. Martinez is joined by Rick Henderson of Carolina Journal for a look at Aiken’s campaign documentary that some are calling a reality show, as well as why Thom Tillis is already being singled out by a national publication for what it called his ability to broker deals when he takes his seat in the Senate. Henderson also discusses the bid by former Asheville legislator Patsy Keever to grab the chairmanship of the state Democratic Party.