Twitter isn’t real life. But in the world of politics, it may as well be.
North Carolina has a robust contingent of folks who pull back the curtain on state politics 280 characters at a time and give an in-the-moment perspective you can’t get anywhere else.
If you’re looking to wade into the North Carolina political Twitter world — also known as #ncpol — here are some must-follow accounts.
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Gerry Cohen
The former special counsel to the General Assembly is still applying his legal mind to the goings-on in Raleigh, and letting us all in on the secrets. He’s the pre-eminent historian of North Carolina politics and what we consider the top #ncpol Twitter account out there.
Brent Woodcox
It’s fitting that next on our list comes the current special counsel to the General Assembly. The Raleigh attorney tweets from a reasoned Republican point of view and has his finger on the pulse of the state.
You can be dismissive of your party doing bad deeds because it can be justified on the basis that the other side also does bad deeds. But just know you don't get to be taken seriously as an arbiter of moral standards when you are only willing to apply them to the other side.
— Brent Woodcox (@BrentWoodcox) July 5, 2018
Jonathan Kappler
The executive director of the NC FreeEnterprise Foundation is a fount of knowledge and regularly tweets out updates on fundraising and other nonpartisan research. His morning live videos are a must-watch.
A recent appearance by #NCGOV Cooper (D) at the Lumbee Homecoming made me think of the political context of some events & policy pushes, also recent controversies in #NC09 race highlight another function of outside groups, Watch on #Periscope https://t.co/8r5kRxezBN #NCPOL #NCGA
— Jonathan Kappler (@jonathankappler) July 10, 2018
Jamal Little
The traveling press secretary for Gov. Roy Cooper gives a candid behind-the-scenes look at the governor’s day-to-day.
This morning, @NC_Governor visited Stough Elementary in Wake to highlight the need for a statewide school construction bond. Stough was first built in 1968 and has a few old trailers #ncpol #ncga pic.twitter.com/fTbm5goG99
— Jamal Little (@JamalWLittle) July 10, 2018
NCSBE
Usually, institutional accounts are pretty dry. But the N.C. Bipartisan State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement is super useful and the first place to visit for up-to-the-minute resources.
The judicial candidate filing list has been updated through the end of the filing period: https://t.co/XAXneT235i. #ncga #ncpol
— NCSBE (@NCSBE) June 29, 2018
Jim Blaine
North Carolina’s “51st senator” takes followers on an often-humorous journey through the halls of power.
Heard around #ncga today:
Member 1: He's worthless.
Member 2: That's why we need him.#endofsessionsigns #ncpol
— Jim Blaine (@JimBlaine) June 26, 2018
Tricia Cotham
The former lawmaker turned government-affairs expert is as plugged in as it gets.
The last week of session for members is very hard- tensions run high, emotions are all over the place and you are utterly exhausted. Election years intensify these feelings, especially this year.
— Tricia Cotham (@triciacotham) June 29, 2018
Rep. Tim Moore
Want the view from the top? The House speaker is a great source for the views of General Assembly leadership.
'It wasn't until North Carolina started lowering taxes and cutting regulations that we finally started to move forward out of the recession….We want to keep moving North Carolina forward' with record savings reserve, revenue surpluses, rapid job growth: https://t.co/YaIuVJnST5 pic.twitter.com/3VEbiGxn0W
— Speaker Tim Moore (@NCHouseSpeaker) July 6, 2018
Sen. Joel Ford
The outgoing state senator from Charlotte has never been afraid to mix it up on Twitter and stick it to both sides of the aisle. Here’s hoping he keeps that up.
You are what’s wrong with the @NCDemParty , extremism! See election results in 2016 then repeat. #ncpol https://t.co/STT1vwL6ZH
— Joel Ford (@joeldford) July 7, 2018
A.P. Dillon
She’s a prolific conservative writer not afraid to throw elbows.
How about the rest of NC still waiting?
Cooper promises full Hurricane Matthew recovery to Lumbees https://t.co/WCNYulotqI#ncpol #RayCooper
— A.P. Dillon (@APDillon_) July 8, 2018
Dallas Woodhouse
The executive director of the N.C. Republican Party often makes news directly on Twitter. He’s both an informative and entertaining follow.
I suspect voters in NC are not going to like supporters of @DanMcCready attacking @MarkHarrisNC9, a man of faith praising the special role of Mothers on MOTHERS DAY!
— Dallas Woodhouse (@DallasWoodhouse) July 6, 2018
Kristopher Nordstrom
Kris is an education policy analyst for the N.C. Justice Center, and as such has a clear point of view. But he’s one of the closest eyes on the state’s public schools out there, and whip-smart. If you want to get nerdy about ed policy, he’s your guy.
To the extent #NCGA and @MarkRJohnsonNC want to help charters, cutting DPI departments that support all schools is a dumb, self-defeating strategy.#nced
— Kristopher Nordstrom (@KrisNordstrom) July 5, 2018
Nathan Babcock
The Parker Poe lobbyist is a master at the Twitter craft.
Here’s to the senator who was particularly moved by Sen. Cook’s resolution for the town of Bath and Blackbeard the pirate and continues to vote “AYYYEEE!!!” on subsequent bills.
— Nathan Babcock (@NathanBabcock) June 26, 2018
Sen. Jeff Jackson
The Charlotte Democrat understands social media better than any other N.C. politician and has become the de facto leader of his party.
This response from Harris is childish. Responsible adults don’t defend their indefensible comments by employing outlandish non sequiturs to try and distract people. It’s like saying I know I didn’t pay my taxes but I’m pretty sure Batman didn’t either, so I’m good. #ncpol https://t.co/mpKci6i6Xf
— Rep. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) July 7, 2018
Dan Way
The Carolina Journal associate editor is a reliable live-tweeter of noteworthy events.
Sen. Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, jests in farewell speech from Senate floor: “It’s taken most of the last six years to recover from the first two.” #ncga #ncpol
— Dan Way (@danway_carolina) June 29, 2018
Michael Bitzer
The political science professor is a data whiz and is constantly providing useful nuggets of info.
Waiting on 25M+ files of NC voter history data to load… pic.twitter.com/xt9GkfjH7u
— Dr. Michael Bitzer (@BowTiePolitics) May 21, 2018
Alex Miller
The government affairs pro tells it like it is.
Most “special interest lobbyists” are working on things you agree with and benefit from. https://t.co/KHHWrCrRVk
— Alex Miller (@AlexMillerNC) July 7, 2018
The media
We’ll finish off with the most prolific tweeters in #ncpol, our press contingent. They work hard to keep us all better informed.
People:
- Colin Campbell, N.C. Insider
- Travis Fain, WRAL
- Lauren Horsch, N.C. Insider
- Jim Morrill, Charlotte Observer
- Will Doran, N&O
- Tyler Dukes, WRAL
- Andy Specht, N&O
- Lisa Sorg, N.C. Policy Watch
- Jeff Tiberii, WUNC
- Brian Murphy, McClatchy DC
- Ben McNeely, Capital Tonight
Institutions: N.C. Insider, Under the Dome, WRAL Government Coverage
Another fun #ncpol stat: With F>E candidate name ballot order (F last name first in order, E last name last in order), here is which party gets the top spot on the ballot for #ncga State House of Representatives:
Democratic 61
Republican 49
Libertarian 8
Constitution 1
Green 1— Gerry Cohen (@gercohen) July 9, 2018