2014 election

July 28, 2014 - Most North Carolinians think the state legislature has not done enough to address Duke Energy's recent coal ash spill into the Dan River. Their dissatisfaction crosses party lines -- and could affect the outcome of a key U.S. Senate race.

July 24, 2014 - State Senator Chris McDaniel's still-contested narrow loss to incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in Mississippi's Republican runoff last month exposed a divide with the Republican Party possibly as wide as the divide that ultimately split the one-party Democratic South in the 1890s between the "Bourbon" establishment and the rebellious "Populists."

June 20, 2014 - As the North Carolina legislative session draws to a close, Moral Monday organizers are planning a mass protest on June 23 involving sit-ins and teach-ins inside the legislative building to begin the voter mobilization work leading up to the Nov. 4 election.

May 20, 2014 - The same day weekly mass protests began again at the North Carolina legislature, civil rights groups filed a legal motion to block a restrictive new voting law from being enforced for this year's election.

May 9, 2014 - North Carolina's usually low-profile mid-term primary election drew a record-shattering $2.5 million in spending for state-level races from corporate-funded outside groups unconnected to candidates' campaigns or political parties, with much of that money spent to influence a key state Supreme Court race.

May 8, 2014 - Real estate attorney Mark Chilton has been elected register of deeds in Orange County, NC following a campaign in which he pledged to defy state law by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

May 7, 2014 - Institute for Southern Studies/Facing South Executive Director Chris Kromm appeared on the Democracy Now news show today to talk about yesterday's closely watched North Carolina primary races for U.S. Senate and state supreme court -- and what they mean for November.