From Cherokee to Currituck and across 100 counties and more than 550 miles, it’s primary election day in North Carolina.

Due South co-host Jeff Tiberii talks to journalists in Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Wilmington and Winston-Salem about the open U.S. Senate seat, Congressional contests that could answer questions about party fissures, and local elections that will shape education.

This statewide NC primary election special is a co-production of public radio stations WUNC News in Durham, Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, WFAE in Charlotte, WFDD in Winston-Salem, and WHQR in Wilmington.

Featuring:

• Chris Cooper, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs and Director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy at Western Carolina University, author of "Anatomy of a Purple State"
• Felicia Sonmez, Growth and Development Reporter, Blue Ridge Public Radio
• Gerard Albert III, Western North Carolina Rural Communities Reporter, Blue Ridge Public Radio
• Amy Diaz, education reporter, WFDD
• Rachel Keith, reporter and host, WHQR
• Steve Harrison, politics reporter, WFAE
• Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC
• Adam Wagner, reporter and editor, NC Newsroom

This is an updated primary special episode that originally aired February 24, 2026.