Tying It Together with Tim Boyum

U.S. Senator and Republican Ted Budd joins host Tim Boyum for a wide-ranging conversation on the Tying it Together podcast. They talk about his upbringing and how his first run for office literally happened hours before the deadline and resulted in a 17-way primary. Later, they talk about the government shutdown, health care, federal raids in Charlotte, the 2026 elections, and even the controversy of the Epstein files.

This week, Tim talks with Spectrum National Political Anchor Errol Louis about Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City mayoral race.  Louis, host of NY1's "Inside City Hall" and his podcast "You Decide," has interviewed Mamdani and moderated one of the few debates. They talk about Mamdani's background, democratic socialism and how it could play out in other races across the country, including North Carolina's 2026 U.S. Senate race. Later, Louis talks about what it's like to end up as a character in a Saturday Night Live sketch.

In this week's episode of Tying it Together, host Tim Boyum talks with popular blogger and content creator Cassie Clark.  She spends most of her time online preserving southern culture and history, but recently she has been thrown into politics after a post she made with a Charlie Kirk shirt on.  Elon Musk retweeted her post that now has more than 21 million views. She now says her life has changed forever.  Tim talks with Cassie about her background, the shirt incident and why she now says she will take on politics after avoiding it for years.

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.

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 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.