'Trail of the Serpent': Author shares rare N.C. political stories in new book

This week, host Tim Boyum returns to the studio after a recent road trip, sitting down with the region’s top pollsters to talk about the election as early voting begins and campaigns begin their final push.  Tom Jensen, from Public Policy Polling, and Dr. Scott Huffmon, from Winthrop University, are on hand with the latest trends in the presidential race, explaining why they’re spending so much of their time in the Tar Heel state. Both pollsters believe this will be an election where it will take a few days to find out who America's next president will be because of either the thin margins, or the lawsuits because of the thin margins from either candidate. There’s also a conversation about Mark Robinson’s numbers following the recent controversy surrounding his campaign, though both agree the governor’s race will end up being lopsided based on recent data. The two also crunch some numbers on some of North Carolina’s top races.

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum, with photojournalist John Stampf, are wrapping their cross-country trip in a rented Tesla to test the realities of electric vehicles. They’ve talked with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season reporting along the way. Tim and John have arrived at Santa Monica Pier in California nine days after departing from the big apple in their Tesla, packed full of new political and electric vehicle driving experiences. Here are the total EV stats: 9 day trip Covered 14 total states, 9 battleground states Distance: 3,753 miles Time charging: 15 hours, 45 minutes of total charging, or about 1 hour 45 minutes per day Charges: 28 total charges, or about three charges per day Cost: $449.91, or $49.99 each day So, Tim’s take on EV’s, way cheaper than gas but more tolling on your time. He believes it was only possible in a Tesla due to their routing feature. It routes in a charger before the car dies. Would he buy an EV after this experience? No way he’s telling you, too political of a topic, he said. But he feels a lot more comfortable. As far as the politics, he learned America is no doubt divided right now, even in places where the election may not be as “hot” — you can feel it. But, Tim adds, America is much different meeting people in person than it is online. Battleground states he visited handled the divisiveness differently, and wonders how the rhetoric on either side will be handled after the election. There will always be differences that will need to be worked out in the country, and there are times and places for that like on political shows. For Tim, this was an opportunity to cover politics in a unique way, and he hopes you’ve enjoyed the trip.

  Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum, with photojournalist John Stampf, are on the road. They’re talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season. And they’re making the journey in a rented Tesla, reporting as they go on the realities of charging stops and range anxiety while crossing the country in an EV. Host Tim Boyum looks back on this leg of his EV trip from the Las Vegas strip. He brought up the fact that they have now reached two more battleground states, Arizona and Nevada. They drove 295 miles, needing three charges at an hour and 17 minutes total charging time and a total cost of about $46.  While in Flagstaff, Ariz. Tim talked to a man waving a Trump flag about whether he would accept the results of the election if he lost, to which he refused. Tim highlighted this as being a potential situation for certain supporters on both sides of the aisle in this tense election season. Tim also went to Nevada to talk to a group working to instill integrity back into the election system. The former governor told him some people are barely talking to each other. They end their trip with a visit to Santa Monica Pier.

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum, with photojournalist John Stampf, are on the road. They're talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season.  And they're making the journey in a rented Tesla, reporting as they go on the realities of charging stops and range anxiety while crossing the country in an EV. In his latest stop in New Mexico, he does an unusual interview from a hot air balloon during the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, where more than 800,000 people from all over the world (that’s 16 different countries) took to the skies over the course of more than a week. During about a 90-minute balloon ride in the bright skies, Tim, his photographer John and pilot Mark Yocum from Air Rocky Top crammed into a tiny basket at 3,000 feet above the good Earth to have a little chat about politics. It was not an ideal journey for Tim as he is not fond of heights, but he was in awe of what he saw as he described in detail the different types of balloons he saw.   Mark admits that politics do not hold much interest to him, which either party leaders or supporters could be to blame. “It's probably as divisive as it's been since I've been alive and it's tragic,” he says. Hear more in what he has to say in the latest Front Porch Politics. About the Podcast With the speed of the local news cycle, it's easy to forget that the politicians who represent us and the influencers in our communities are more than just a sound bite. North Carolina’s veteran reporter and anchor, Tim Boyum, loosens his signature bow tie to give listeners a glimpse behind the curtain, showing us who these power players really are and why they do what they do. Through Tim’s candid conversations on “Tying It Together,” his guests reveal their most fascinating life stories, passions, and help all of us get a better grasp on the issues affecting our communities.

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum is on the road, talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season. He is cranking out bite-sized podcasts along the way, and in his first edition, he is making his way up the Pennsylvania turnpike with photojournalist John Stampf in a rented Tesla.  On this stop, Tim reports from Madison, Wisconsin, where getting a hotel room is hard to find. That’s because he and Mark plan to take part in the World Dairy Expo while in town. Now to the numbers, Tim said they’ve now traveled across six states in the last 36 hours. They covered 549 miles of road, charging four times along the way for a total time of an hour and 49 minutes and $60 in all. Before leaving Lancing, Michigan, Tim wanted to speak with some independent voters about their thoughts on the vice presidential debate. They said the candidates either didn’t answer the questions or weren’t honest in their responses. Once Tim arrived in Maddison, Wisconsin, he sprinted over to talk to a rural dairy farmer about what issues aren’t being heard in his industry and why. The farmer mentioned though he helps feed America, he sometimes feels ignored on key issues. Tim said he’ll talk to more experts on the matter when they go to the World Dairy Expo tomorrow, then it’s straight to St. Louis.

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host Tim Boyum is on the road, talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season. He is cranking out bite-sized podcasts along the way, and in his first edition, he is making his way up the Pennsylvania turnpike with photojournalist John Stampf in a rented Tesla.  Host Tim Boyum continues his treck across America with recent stops in Pittsburgh, Buttler, Pennsylvania and then to Lordstown, Ohio before landing in Lansing, Michigan for the vice presidential debate. He said they put on about 410 miles across three states. They’ve opted to choose the strategy of topping off rather than waiting to get to a 10% charge. The two topped off before leaving, taking about 28 minutes and costing them $7 dollars. They also stopped in Gerrard, Ohio for another charge, taking 37 minutes for $14 dollars, as well in Toledo for a 44 minute recharge at about $18 dollars. Their final charge was in Lancing, Michigan for a 35 minute charge at about $16 dollars. While in Butler, PA, Tim met with artist Bill Secunda who made what he estimates to be a 20-foot-tall, 200 lb statue of Donald Trump out of nails. Once arriving in Lordstown, Tim spoke to residents about what they need to hear from politicians after a GM plant shut down in 2019. The mayor asked for a pledge of support and for candidates to pull through on those promises. Tim and John head to Wisconsin for their next leg of the trip.    

Front Porch Politics and Tying It Together podcast host, Tim Boyum, is on the road, talking with everyday Americans and local leaders about the issues that matter to them this election season. He is cranking out bit-sized podcasts along the way, and in his first edition, he is making his way up the Pennsylvania turnpike with Photojournalist John Stampf in a rented Tesla.  After leaving the Philadelphia area, they stopped in Morgantown, PA to charge up the vehicle. Tim did note, "range anxiety" is real when you're not used to driving an EV. He found himself constantly worried about what percentage he saw on the screen. They found a supercharger at a gas station when the car was down to 34%, travelling 156 miles. It took 42 minutes and $16.13 to charge it back up to 100%. While waiting, one other car came and charged their vehicle, otherwise it was largely gas-powered vehicles. Later it's Pittsburgh, then Lordstown, Ohio.

On this week’s episode of Tying it Together, Carter Wrenn joins host Tim Boyum to talk about his new book “The Trail of the Serpent”. Carter has been a fixture in Republican circles for over four decades, starting with Ronald Reagan’s 1976 campaign in North Carolina. His most famous work follows the path and career of U.S. Senator Jesse Helms in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Carter transports listeners back in time with his extraordinary accounts of North Carolina’s historic campaigns.

On this week’s episode, host Tim Boyum pulls back the curtain on the world of campaign fundraising. Democratic fundraiser and Parker Poe partner Bruce Thompson joins Tim to consider the ins and outs of a multi-billion dollar industry full of intrigue, controversy and misconceptions. Thompson was part of Hillary Clinton’s national fundraising committee and has played a prominent role in North Carolina campaigns for decades. He explains the common misconceptions surrounding fundraising and the thought that money drives candidate decision making. He added that a big downside to fundraising isn’t the amount of money, but the lack of transparency of who is donating.