A day at the N.C. State Fair with Labor Commissioner Luke Farley

This week on Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum heads to the state fair to talk with Labor Commissioner Luke Farley.   Prior to his role in public service, Commissioner Farley practiced law privately, with a focus on workplace safety. They'll discuss the complex safety procedures needed for approving rides at the N.C. State Fair. They also discuss his unlikely rise in politics as they eat a pork belly churro and much more.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum and his guests tackle the latest craziness in North Carolina politics.  Following Texas, California and others, the North Carolina is set to pass another new Congressional map this week.  The state's most powerful politician is facing a primary.  Finally, the 2026 U.S. Senate race continues to garner all kinds of attention and money. Tim is joined by Brian Lewis, a lobbyist and podcaster, along with Billy Warden, a marketing expert and journalist, to discuss everything.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum talks with the man who is challenging North Carolina's most powerful politician. Senate leader Phil Berger has led Republicans ever since they took full control of the legislature in 2011. However, an unsuccessful attempt to expand casinos in the state opened the door for criticism. As a result, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page plans to run against Sen. Berger in next year's Republican primary. This week, we get to know Sheriff Page, why he's running, and why he thinks he can beat the Berger campaign and money behind it.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum chats with Congressman Pat Harrigan.  The Republican representing the 10th district is a former Army Special Forces officer and Green Beret. He graduated from West Point with a degree in nuclear engineering, as well.  Tim and Rep. Harrigan talk about his background in the military, why he ran for Congress, the partisan divide and the debate over crime in cities like Charlotte.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum talks with North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton.  Clayton discusses next year's top-watched U.S. Senate race, the future of the Democratic party and the political debates centered on crime in the state and around the country. Clayton, who was the nation's youngest state party chair just two years earlier, recently secured a second term as head of the North Carolina Democratic Party.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum talks with two First Amendment experts in light of the debate over free speech since the death of Charlie Kirk and Jimmy Kimmel's temporary suspension.  Tim's guests are UNC Law professor Bill Marshall and Campbell Law professor Greg Wallace.  They will debate the origins, any exceptions, and whether recent events are tiptoeing the line of violating the First Amendment.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum dives back into the world of college athletics, focusing on the political aspects of the sport as the college football season continues. This week, he takes a closer look at UNC-Chapel Hill after shocking the world and hiring Bill Belichick. He works to learn how the university is navigating revenue sharing, conference realignment and raised expectations.  Tim is joined by Greg Barnes from Inside Carolina and the On3 network. He's been at the forefront of writing about the business side of UNC athletics.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum talks with Matt Brown from Extra Points.  As the college football season heats up, we are talking about the politics of college athletics, from NIL and conference realignment to even video games. Will politicians intervene?  We tackle it all with the founder and publisher of Extra Points, which tackles all things college sports off the field.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum travels to Cornelius to meet with U.S. Senator Thom Tillis. There they talk about his debate with President Trump and his decision to retire. Sen. Tillis talks in depth about the conversations with President Trump, his decision not to run for reelection and the death threats he has received in recent years.  They also walk the mountain bike path that led to his political career in the first place.

On this week's episode of Tying it Together, pollster Tom Jensen joins host Tim Boyum to talk about early polling in the 2026 U.S. Senate race and whether we can really glean any insight this early into the race.  Jensen also talks in depth about the overall political mood for 2026, the highs and lows for candidates Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley, and why we should reconsider everything we think we know about the race.  Jensen has been a pollster with the nationally recognized Public Policy Polling since 2007. He's a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate.