The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics : the Personalities, Elections, and Events That Shaped Modern North Carolina, New Preface

How can a state be represented by Jesse Helms and John Edwards at the same time? Journalist Rob Christensen answers that question and navigates a century of political history in North Carolina, one of the most politically vibrant and competitive southern states, where neither conservatives nor liberals, Democrats nor Republicans, have been able to rest easy. It is this climate of competition and challenge, Christensen argues, that enabled North Carolina to rise from poverty in the nineteenth century to become a leader in research, education, and banking in the twentieth. In this new paperback edition, Christensen provides updated coverage of recent changes in North Carolina's political landscape, including the scandals surrounding John Edwards and Mike Easley, the defeat of U.S. senator Elizabeth Dole, the election of the state's first woman governor, and voters' approval of an African American candidate for president. The book provides an overview of the run-up to the 2010 elections and explains how North Carolina has become, arguably, the most politically competitive state in the South. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 14 Prologue......Page 20 CHAPTER 1. The Simmons Machine......Page 47 CHAPTER 2. The Shelby Dynasty......Page 75 CHAPTER 3. Branchhead Boys......Page 122 CHAPTER 4. The Last of the Conservative Democrats......Page 167 CHAPTER 5. Dixie Dynamo......Page 192 CHAPTER 6. Jessecrats......Page 216 CHAPTER 7. Jim Hunt and the Democratic Revival......Page 248 CHAPTER 8. Phoenix Rising......Page 274 CHAPTER 9. A New Century......Page 300 Epilogue......Page 324 Appendix......Page 332 Notes......Page 336 B......Page 358 C......Page 359 D......Page 360 E......Page 361 G......Page 362 H......Page 363 J......Page 364 M......Page 365 N......Page 366 P......Page 367 R......Page 368 S......Page 369 T......Page 370 W......Page 371 Y......Page 372 How can a state be represented by Jesse Helms and John Edwards at the same time? This book answers that question and navigates a century of political history in North Carolina, one of the vibrant and competitive southern states, where neither conservatives nor liberals, Democrats nor Republicans, have been able to rest easy.