What can early polling tell us about the 2026 U.S. Senate Race

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.

On this week’s episode of Tying it Together, an exclusive interview with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley.  The RNC Chairman and former N.C. GOP chairman discusses his decision to run for office for the first time, his race against former Gov. Roy Cooper, and all the issues that will make this the most important and closely watched race in the country in 2026.

With cryptocurrency in political headlines from Congress to the White House, we figured it was time to get some experts on to help us understand it all. Two well-versed and well-spoken experts from Duke University join host Tim Boyum to share their experiences. Jimmie Lenz is the Director of the Master of Engineering in Financial Technology and Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity at Duke University. Lee Reiners is a lecturing fellow at Duke University and Duke Law. They have both testified before Congress on the issues and have their own podcast called Coffee and Crypto with Lee and Jimmie.

In just one summer week, the nation’s most important and expensive race blew up with former Gov. Roy Cooper and RNC Chairman Michael Whatley both entering the race.  They are likely to face each other in the 2026 general election to replace Senator Thom Tillis.  This week, one of the state’s most prominent consultants, Republican Jim Blaine, joins us to break down what each candidate brings to the table, their potential pitfalls and who has an advantage some 15 months before the highly anticipated election.  Blaine is a co-founder of The Differentiators and was one of Sen. Phil Berger’s most powerful lieutenants.

Host Tim Boyum welcomes Dr. Kathy Dello this week, as they analyze the extensive flooding that has impacted our state throughout the summer.   Dr. Dello is the State Climatologist and Director of the State Climate Office. She explains the science behind the recent intense rainfall and the role climate change has played in these storms.  She also talks in depth about the future of our climate and challenges local communities and the state may face if it continues. 

This week, Art Pope joins host Tim Boyum to voice his strong opposition to President Donald Trump’s tariff plan.  Pope is one of the state’s largest Republican donors and owns a massive discount retail company, recently purchasing numerous Big Lots that were in bankruptcy.  Pope believes the tariffs will lead to product shortages and increased prices for his customers.

On this week’s episode, two of Tim’s long time political friends join him to talk about the potential political impacts of the “Big Beautiful Bill” on Medicaid expansion.  Tim is joined by Billy Warden of RLF Communications and Brian Lewis from New Frame. They also talk about the latest on former Gov. Roy Cooper potentially entering next year’s U.S. Senate race.

Days after U.S. Senator Thom Tillis announced he will not run for reelection, host Tim Boyum sits down with two of North Carolina’s top consultants to talk about what’s next.  Morgan Jackson, a top Democratic strategist for former Gov. Roy Cooper, and Jonathan Felts, a top Republican strategist for current U.S. Senator Ted Budd, join Tim to talk about Tillis’ decision, potential candidates and the role of President Donald Trump. Before his announcement, Tillis weighed Trump’s influence and Senate GOP support, said a person who was granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. Tillis saw the GOP pushing forward with Medicaid cuts and Trump’s Truth social posts calling for a new primary challenger as a “no.” Jackson said the data shows though, that Tillis was one of the weakest incumbents in the country — Republican or Democrat. “I think, if you are in a place where swing voters view the way they do Thom Tillis, meaning upside-down in the numbers, and you’re now in open warfare with the person who determines whether or not you’re going to win your primary, it makes total sense. There was not a path forward,” Morgan said. “In a Primary or General.” Democrats now see his decision as a political opportunity to gain seats in the 2026 midterm elections, especially in the now open Senate race of this long-contested state, and some Republicans are mulling the idea as well. And though Tim says he usually doesn’t focus on the “who’s in, who’s out,” he does admit there are some big potential names who could enter the race this summer.  Lara Trump, a big name in the hat, was born in Wilmington, but has established residency in Florida. President Trump recently said she’d be his top pick. “She’s a great person, Lara Trump. I mean, that would always be my first choice,” he said. “But she doesn’t live there now, but she’s there all the time. Her parents are there, you know. She really knows North Carolina well.”  “I think we have a lot of good candidates if we’re looking at it. I think if Lara Trump wants the nomination, it’s hers for the taking,” Felts said. “She connects well with the voters here in North Carolina. They see her as one of us. They see her as a ‘hometown girl.’” On the Democrat ticket, Tim asked Jackson whether there’s national pressure that the party needs former Gov. Roy Cooper to step up and be the ‘savior’. “It’s easy to do the math and say there’s no question Roy Cooper gives the best chance to win if you’re lay Democrat, a reporter, or an activist,” Jackson said. “They’re giving him space to make that decision, but yeah, they really want him to run.” Join Tim for this fun, informative and news breaking discussion.