The double-pocket button-up test

North Carolina’s executive politics are about trust, not heat

One of the most common questions I get is about North Carolina’s long-standing tradition of splitting tickets. If you’re reading this, you’re already well aware that our state typically votes Republican for president and U.S. Senate, but more often than not puts a Democrat in as governor and attorney general.

I have my standard answer, and used it once again in a Q&A I just did with the good folks over at Down from DC. They asked whether North Carolina voters will buck national trends again this year, and I told them this:

“We have a strong pragmatic streak that rewards competence. People here will put up with ideology in Washington, but when it comes to running North Carolina, they want someone who seems steady, capable and normal.”

This weekend gave us two examples that take that abstract theory and put it into practice.

First, the weather. I’m writing this as the ice comes down steadily across the state. Ahead of the storm, Gov. Josh Stein did the traditional pre-storm press conference…