This episode breaks down the Democratic primary for North Carolina House District 37, where Winn Decker, Ralph Clements, and Marcus Gadson are competing to face Republican incumbent Erin Paré in November.

Decker leans on his bipartisan policy experience and coordinated planning, focusing on housing, infrastructure, and schools to keep pace with Wake County’s growth. Clements emphasizes consumer protections, fair utilities, and stronger public investments, including competitive teacher pay and universal school meals. Gadson centers on direct tax relief, expanding housing supply, and broader structural reforms, including changes to judicial elections.

We also explore how each candidate approaches healthcare, climate resilience, public safety, and democratic safeguards like redistricting. Whether your priority is school funding, affordability, or systemic reform, this episode helps you understand which candidate’s approach aligns with your values.

NC House of Representatives District 37 Candidates

Winn Decker: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/Winn.Decker@Winn4NC.com

Ralph Clements: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/Bluesky/Ralph@RalphClements.com

Marcus Gadson: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/X/Marcus.A.Gadson@gmail.com

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Closest Early Voting Locations
February 12-28

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

In this episode we zoom into the District 17 NC Senate race that will be on the Republican Ballot. Sarah Al-Baghdadi positions herself as a community-focused contender with experience in law enforcement, substitute teaching, and small business. She centers mental health, promises high accessibility, and raises concerns about proposed data centers, though her public record is light—no campaign website yet and minimal filings beyond committee paperwork.

Shirley Johnson offers a detailed platform anchored in public safety, parental rights, school choice, and fiscal responsibility. With a decade on a state senate staff, leadership at a Child Advocacy Center and CASA, and service on an FBI Human Trafficking Task Force, she connects policy to family outcomes. She argues for strengthening penalties for violent crime, auditing education spending to fund teacher pay without raising taxes, and expanding housing supply by curbing overly restrictive local zoning. On hot-button issues, she supports tighter abortion limits with narrow exceptions, legislative control of redistricting, and clear standards for data center incentives tied to energy, water, and community impact. She also outlines climate resilience through research-driven infrastructure and better disaster preparedness.

If you want a policy blueprint with line-by-line positions on safety, schools, and growth, Johnson gives you a lot to evaluate. If you want a neighbor-first representative who promises responsiveness and district-led priorities, Al-Baghdadi makes a service-forward case.

Find this helpful? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a neighbor who’s voting in District 17. Your voice moves North Carolina—what will you choose?

Republican Ballot: NC Senate District 17 Candidates

Sarah Al-Baghdadi: Sarahayyadlmc@gmail.com (no website or campaign finance reports filed)

Shirley Johnson: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/TikTok/ShirleyJ007@gmail.com

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Closest Early Voting Locations
February 12-28

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

Wake County’s next District Attorney will shape how justice works every day; and this year, the Democratic primary effectively decides the office. There is no Republican challenger, so the primary winner will take the seat in November.

This episode breaks down the three-way race — Sherita Walton, Melanie Shekita, and Wiley Nickel — and translates their platforms into real stakes: which cases get prosecuted, who gets a second chance, and what builds public safety.

We explain how the primary works, outline the DA’s powers, then compare each candidate’s approach. Walton brings cross-jurisdiction prosecutorial experience and advisory work with Raleigh PD, focusing on transparency, specialized units, and youth engagement. Shekita brings 27 years in Wake courtrooms, leads the Special Victims Unit, and promises hands-on prosecution of violent felonies with targeted diversion. Nickel focuses on fixing understaffing, launching a mental health court, and restoring the office’s public corruption role.

We highlight contrasts on bail, mental health, and low-level marijuana cases — while noting shared ground: firm lines on violent and sexual offenses and expanded diversion for appropriate first-time and youth cases.

This episode unpacks what’s at stake as Wake County chooses its next District Attorney.

Wake County District Attorney Candidates

Sherita Walton: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Sherita@WaltonForWake.com

Melanie Shekita: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/Info@ShekitaForWake.com

Wiley Nickel: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/X/Bluesky/TikTok

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

February 12-28: Closest Early Voting Locations

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

The quiet races decide so much. This GOP primary for North Carolina’s Court of Appeals Seat 1 asks a sharp question: what kind of experience best prepares a judge to review the law—meticulous appellate-ready opinions or years of trial-tested judgment?

We walk through the ballot basics, then dig into two distinct judicial résumés. Administrative Law Judge Michael C. Byrne spotlights nearly 400 written decisions, nine unanimously affirmed on appeal, and a long track record representing law enforcement and public employees. He leans on major endorsements from the NC Fraternal Order of Police, the NC Police Benevolent Association, and NAPO, and cites key employment and Certificate of Need cases to show depth in complex, highly regulated disputes. His core message: get it right, protect due process, apply the law rather than make it, and write opinions that stand up on review.

Superior Court Judge Matt Smith brings breadth from the trial bench: almost two decades as a trial lawyer, service on the district court, and now presiding in superior courts across 15 counties. He argues that most of the Court of Appeals’ workload mirrors what he sees daily, and he stakes his candidacy on a constitutional conservative approach—text first, precedent for stability, and narrow rulings that avoid activism. His questionnaire responses track a disciplined method: honor legislative presumptions of constitutionality, respect burdens of proof, and keep personal views out of outcomes.

If this helped you prepare for early voting, share it with a friend, subscribe for more NC election deep dives, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. Your vote matters; let’s make it an informed one.

Republican Ballot: NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 1 Candidates

Michael C. Byrne: Facebook/Instagram/Michael@mb4nc.com

Matt Smith: Facebook/Matt@VoteMattSmithJudge.com

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Closest Early Voting Locations

February 12-28

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

Early voting is almost over, and many of you may still be weighing your options. To help, we recorded a full Democratic candidate forum for North Carolina’s U.S. House District 13 so you can cut through the noise, hear real answers, and decide with confidence. This famously gerrymandered district stretches from Caswell and Person to Johnston, Lee, and southeast Wake—we also explain how to confirm your district and find your sample ballot using the State Board of Elections voter search.

Two candidates took the stage: Paul Barringer and Frank Pierce. Paul draws on decades in health law and public policy, arguing Congress must reclaim its Article I role, strengthen constituent services, and protect ACA subsidies while rolling back new Medicaid barriers. Frank argues off-year wins come from doors, data, and early engagement, pointing to turnout gains, year-round organizing, and coalition building across Black voters, HBCUs, and Democratic caucuses.

You’ll hear contrasts—and overlap—on abortion rights, rural health access, paying for care, Ukraine, Taiwan, NATO, tariffs, and redistricting strategy.

If District 13 is on your ballot and you’re a Democrat or unaffiliated voter, this forum delivers substance flyers can’t. Listen, compare, and choose. If this helped, subscribe, leave a quick review, and share it with one person who still needs to hear it. Your vote—and your voice—can move this district.

Democratic Ballot: US House of Representatives District 13 Candidates

Paul Barringer: Facebook/Instagram/X/Bluesky/Paul@PaulBarringer.com

Frank Pierce: Facebook/Instagram/X/TikTok/Pierce4Congress@outlook.com

Alexander Nicholi: Facebook/X/Substack/SBENicholiFTW.com

Campaign Finance Reports for Federal Candidate Committees

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

February 12-28: Closest Early Voting Locations

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY

Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

The Democratic primary for Seat Three on the North Carolina Court of Appeals features two candidates offering distinct paths to the bench: James Weldon Whalen and Christine Walczyk. As a statewide court that reviews thousands of civil and criminal cases each year—and now has the final word in the vast majority of appeals—its decisions shape fundamental issues ranging from voting rights to public education and constitutional protections. This race highlights differing professional backgrounds and judicial philosophies at a time when the role and independence of the courts are central topics in public debate.

Whalen, an appellate attorney who previously served in the North Carolina Department of Justice and now practices in private law, centers his campaign on defending constitutional rights and checking what he describes as abuses of political power. He points to his work fighting gerrymandering, supporting public school funding, and helping defend a state Supreme Court election outcome as evidence of his appellate experience. Walczyk, by contrast, brings 18 years of experience as a Wake County district court judge, including leadership roles in family and civil court. She emphasizes her record of issuing fair, timely, and nonpartisan decisions, her commitment to equal treatment under the law, and her belief that judges must remain independent from political pressure.

NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 3 Candidates

James Weldon Whalen: Campaign Finance Report

----Facebook/Instagram/X/Bluesky/Threads/TikTok/LinkedIn

Christine Marie Walczyk: Campaign Finance Report

----Facebook/Instagram

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Closest Early Voting Locations
February 12-28

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

In this episode, we break down the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, featuring three distinct candidates:

• Paul Barringer – A healthcare consultant, attorney, and farm manager running on constitutional accountability, fiscal responsibility, and practical healthcare reform. He emphasizes independent, district-first representation, balanced budgeting, and bipartisan problem-solving rooted in “common sense” governance.
• Frank Pierce – A lifelong North Carolinian and small business owner focused on working families. His platform highlights affordable healthcare, strong public education funding, support for farmers and small businesses, immigration reform, housing solutions, climate action, and protecting democracy, alongside a commitment to community service and compromise.
• Alexander Nicholi – A software developer and self-described labor Democrat campaigning against deficit spending and tech-industry influence. He prioritizes protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, enforcing stricter border controls, ending omnibus bills, and restoring transparency and constitutional governance.

We explore how each candidate defines the district’s challenges and offers a different vision for its future.

Democratic Ballot: US House of Representatives District 13 Candidates

Paul Barringer: Facebook/Instagram/X/Bluesky/Paul@PaulBarringer.com

Frank Pierce: Facebook/Instagram/X/TikTok/Pierce4Congress@outlook.com

Alexander Nicholi: Facebook/X/Substack/SBE@NicholiFTW.com

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Campaign Finance Reports for Federal Candidate Committees

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Closest Early Voting Locations
February 12-28

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

We map the District 13 Republican primary between Sid Sharma and Brad Knott, laying out each platform, public record, and source so voters can compare claims and consequences. Clear contrasts emerge on immigration tactics, tax policy scope, and governing style.

• Ballot rules and who gets a primary ballot
• Sid Sharma’s bio and accountant-first agenda
• Sharma’s deportation strategy and sanctuary city penalties
• Sharma's Second Amendment absolutism and litigation plan
• Sharma's zero tax for under $50k and gas tax repeal
• Sharma's attacks on Brad Knott’s votes, bills, and endorsements
• Brad Knott’s prosecutor background and committees
• Brad Knott's border security penalties, school choice, balanced budget stance
• Brad Knott's rights, policing, and abortion positions
• Brad Knott's GovTrack ideology-leadership placement and bill focus
• Campaign finance snapshots and voting records

Make sure you check out our NC Deep Dive Voters' Guide for the 2026 primary election found below along with all the other relevant episodes for the 2026 primary election! Early Voting has begun, so it's time to make your voice heard!

If you found value in this episode, we'd love for you to subscribe, review, and share it to help us in our mission to help voters make their most informed choices.

Sid Sharma: Facebook/X/Info@SharmaForCongress.com

Brad Knott: Facebook/Instagram/X/Info@BradKnottForCongress.com

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Campaign Finance Reports for Federal Candidate Committees

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Closest Early Voting Locations
February 12-28

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!