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A "fired up" President Barack Obama took the stage in North Carolina today to stump for his onetime political rival Hillary Clinton, being greeted by the crowed with thunderous applause and saying no one has been "more qualified for this office than Hillary Clinton." Clinton, fresh off the news that the FBI didn't recommend charges against her for using a private email server for government correspondence when she was secretary of state, took the stage first to chants of "Hillary, Hillary, Hillary." She said she has known Obama in many roles and called him "a friend." "I was honored to...

President Obama and Hillary Clinton campaign together next week for the first time this year, and their decision to meet up in Charlotte says a lot about how her campaign views her path to replace him in the White House. Democrats see North Carolina as a prime place to expand into Republican territory against Donald Trump, building upon one of Obama's biggest triumphs in 2008 and his narrow loss four years ago....

What: Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will hold a campaign rally in Greensboro on Tuesday. When: Doors open at 4 p.m.; event is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Where: Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center Tickets: Free; go to www.donaldjtrump.com/schedule; tickets are limited to two per mobile phone number.

Today, HRC released the following statement on Ted Cruz’s despicable new campaign ad attacking transgender people. “Ted Cruz’s transphobic smear campaign peddles a dangerous brand of hate and ignorance,” said HRC Communications Director Jay Brown. “At a time when transgender women are at a disproportionately high risk for violence and assault, Ted Cruz’s reckless ad puts them at even greater risk. Moreover, what message does Ted Cruz think this sends to transgender youth across this country? We deserve a president who’ll fight to protect the rights and dignity of everyone -- not a reckless, feckless politician who’ll do or say...

Donald Trump won North Carolina’s Republican primary last month, but many of the state’s GOP convention delegates elected so far prefer the second-place candidate: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. That could spell trouble for Trump if he doesn’t arrive at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July with the 1,237 delegates required to win on the first ballot. For the first round of voting, North Carolina’s delegate count must proportionately match the state’s March 15 primary results: 29 votes for Trump, 27 for Cruz, nine for John Kasich, six for Marco Rubio and one for Ben Carson. Any delegate who...

RALEIGH - One of North Carolina state government's most powerful leaders has endorsed Ted Cruz for president on the eve of the state's primary. Senate leader Phil Berger announced his endorsement Monday, saying Cruz is the only GOP candidate with a ''realistic chance'' of winning the nomination who can beat the Democratic nominee in November....

A new poll from the conservative Civitas Institute found little change in the presidential primary race in North Carolina, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton holding large leads. The first poll since a number of Republicans dropped out found Trump garnering 32 percent support, with Ted Cruz in second place with 26 percent. Those numbers were similar to a January Civitas poll. John Kasich had the biggest growth in support, from 2 percent in January to 11 percent this month. That number has him tied for a distant third place with Marco Rubio. On the Democratic side, 57 percent of...

HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 8, 2016 - The High Point University Poll has found former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the lead in North Carolina's Democratic Primary for President of the United States over Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. On the Republican side, more of North Carolina's likely Republican primary voters support Donald Trump. Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are his closest competitors. The survey of likely Democratic primary voters found that a majority (55 percent) support Secretary Clinton, and 29 percent favor Sen. Sanders. The other two candidates on the ballot - former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley...

The states of Iowa and North Carolina have at least two things in common. First, they are the nation's top producers of hogs. Second, they are often overrun with politicians desperate to attract attention and votes. But I repeat myself. Now that we know the results of the Iowa caucuses, the 2016 political landscape is much clearer. Those seeking office or running campaigns in North Carolina would be well advised to look to Iowa, another purple state, for lessons about the press, the polls and the parties. For starters, reporters and commentators are only as insightful as their sources. Many...

It's the day for polls, apparently. Civitas reports a phone survey of Republican voters on the GOP presidential candidates with one big takeaway: It's a tie between Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. The numbers show Trump pulling 27 percent of the support, while 23 percent favored Cruz, which is within the margin of error. Eleven percent said they have no preference in a candidate. Ten percent favored Sen. Marco Rubio, and 7 percent went with Ben Carson. The rest: Chris Christie, 4 percent; Jeb Bush, 4 percent; Mike Huckabee, 2 percent; John Kasich, 2 percent; Rand Paul, 2 percent;...

Earlier today it was widely reported that North Carolina Senator Richard Burr was not happy with Ted Cruz. That doesn't make him a special snowflake. Most of the practitioners of crony capitalism and Failure Theater in the Senate are not happy with Ted Cruz. But Burr was not content to merely take a number and get in line. Burr had to make a point of how pissed he was at the idea of Ted Cruz winning the nomination. (Burr's Heritage Action score is 45%, which is the same as arch-conservatives John Cornyn and Mitch McConnell.) Cruz has become such a...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) may not have had a Rick Perry moment in last night's CNN-moderated Republican presidential debate, but he may nonetheless have landed himself in hot water. The Associated Press reports that Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has ordered staffers to examine whether Cruz improperly revealed classified information during the Las Vegas face-off. The probe centers on Cruz's statements about counterterrorism surveillance under the Cruz-backed USA Freedom Act. Responding to criticism from rival Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Cruz said that investigators can examine "nearly 100%" of phone numbers in terror investigations under...

Senator Ted Cruz has received the Asheville Tea PAC (ATPAC) endorsement for the 2016 election for United States President. Senator Ted Cruz’s staunch commitment to Constitutional authority is evidenced in his proven voting record. Undaunted and undeterred by even those in his own party, he has remained resolute in the defense of the principles Asheville Tea PAC embraces: individual rights, limited government, fiscal responsibility and free markets. Asheville Tea PAC is dedicated to bringing the people back into the election process by their participation to replace compromised incumbents with good men and women who commit to Constitutional authority. We focus...

Los Angeles (AFP) - President Barack Obama said the Republican Party has "gone off the deep end" with its messy failure to elect a new speaker of the House of Representatives. The Republican-controlled House was left in shock and disarray this week when Kevin McCarthy, the frontrunner to replace John Boehner, who has announced his resignation, suddenly withdrew from the race because of a revolt by conservatives. The challenge now is to find a consensus candidate who can soothe wounds and unite a fractious caucus. Obama addressed the drama at an expensive fundraiser at a private home in Los Angeles....

"Why not resign like Bob Livingston?”In the hours before House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) abruptly withdrew his candidacy to be the next speaker of the House, he was sent an email from a conservative activist threatening to expose an alleged affair with a colleague. The subject line: “Kevin, why not resign like Bob Livingston?” The email, sent just after 8 a.m. on Thursday, came from Steve Baer, a Chicago-based GOP donor known for mass-emailing conservative figures and Republican lawmakers. It was addressed to McCarthy and numerous others, including the personal account of Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), who conservative media...

If you had to vote in your state primary/caucus today, knowing what you know now about the various declared and probable candidates, who would you vote for? Why? Who would you like to see as the running mate for your preferred candidate? If you could help staff your candidates cabinet and other top appointments, who would you choose? If you could recommend different congressional leaders than we have now, who would they be? And who would you like to see on the Supreme Court and why? And finally, feel free to donate to Free Republic.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, is set to announce his North Carolina-based leadership group, including several activists who previously worked with Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and a civil rights leader who was involved in the Greensboro sit-ins. The campaign said it had recruited evangelical and Tea Party leaders. The Cruz campaign tells Dome that Cruz was looking for leaders to add to “grassroots momentum” and to help him raise money and compete for the nomination. A formal announcement is expected Tuesday to include: ▪ USMC Lieutenant Colonel William “Bill” and Velvet Cowan (Ret.) of Mt. Airy. Cowan...

Raleigh looked like Iowa-lite over the weekend, with presidential candidates popping up everywhere. They gave speeches, worked the hallways, and posed for selfies at the three-day state GOP convention held at the Raleigh Convention Center. They met with potential donors and activists, attended fundraisers, and made pilgrimages to Jones Street. They hated Barack and Hillary, loved Reagan and Israel. And left the impression that Obamacare was only slightly better than radical Islamic terrorism. This is the result of the legislature moving up North Carolina’s presidential primaries from its traditional date in May to probably the first Tuesday in March –...

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that won’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * Hillary Clinton didn’t explicitly endorse a $15 minimum wage, but she nevertheless made a surprise call yesterday to a convention of fast-food workers who are rallying for the cause. The Democrat declared, “I want to be your champion.” * On “Face the Nation” yesterday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) reiterated his support for a federal crackdown on states that legalized marijuana. Asked if he would “go after” state experiments, and prohibit the legal use of...

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is in Raleigh this weekend organizing his campaign in the state, sees some parallels between the crowded GOP presidential primary and the NCAA basketball tournament. With the GOP primary becoming increasingly crowded, Cruz said it is useful to break down the field into brackets. Candidates must win their brackets in order to advance. “I think of the Republican primary very much like an NCAA tournament bracket,” Cruz said in an interview at the Raleigh Convention Center on Friday. The typical Republican primary, Cruz said, is composed of 35 percent of self-identified moderates, 15 percent libertarians,...