TX Rep. Trey Martinez on Fighting Fire with Fire

The Night After the 2025 NC Elections w/ The Foxfire Dispatch

This week, Left of Old North teams up with The Foxfire Dispatch for a special crossover episode! We’re joined by Liz Purvis, organizer, activist, and host of The Foxfire Dispatch, for a deep dive into the epic wins from this year’s elections — in North Carolina and across the country. From local races that flipped seats in tough districts to national victories for progressives, we break down what went right, what it says about the momentum building, and how grassroots organizing turned frustration into power. If you needed proof that people power still works — this is it.

TX Rep. Trey Martinez on Fighting Fire with Fire

In this episode, we sit down with Texas State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, one of the Democrats who fled the Lone Star State to break quorum and stop an outrageous GOP gerrymander that would have handed Republicans five extra congressional seats. Rep. Martinez Fischer takes us inside the fight: from Governor Greg Abbott’s threats of fines and arrests, to a bomb threat in Illinois that forced Democrats to evacuate, to California’s bold counter-move to redraw its own maps in response. We talk about what it’s like to literally leave home for democracy, the national stakes of redistricting, and why he believes Democrats must be willing to fight fire with fire.

Rep. Rodney Pierce on Living Through History, Holding the Line, & Why Dems Can’t Ignore ENC

In this episode, CJ sits down with State Representative Rodney Pierce (HD-27) for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to represent eastern North Carolina, from the fight for rural investment to defending democracy in the face of right-wing overreach. Rep. Pierce shares his journey into politics, the issues that matter most to his district, and how Democrats can reconnect with working-class voters across the 252. We talk education, healthcare, housing, and the urgency of standing strong in a statehouse that too often ignores rural voices. This one’s for anyone who believes North Carolina’s future includes all of us, not just the wealthy and well-connected in Raleigh.

Run Roy, RUN || Bonus Episode

In this bonus episode, we talk about the reception to Roy Cooper's announcement that he is running for the US Senate -- a long awaited boon for Democrats across the state that is sure to shake up the midterms. We talk about the dynamic Cooper brings to the table, what the response was like at the NCDP's Unity Dinner where he teased the run, and what's ahead for progressives. We also cover some of the vetoed bills in the NCGA that are currently slated to be overturned the day after this episode airs, and what to expect if it comes to a vote.

Chuck Hubbard on Running in Rural WNC & Why Virginia Foxx Needs to Lose

In this episode of Left of Old North, we sit down with Chuck Hubbard, the Democrat taking on far-right Rep. Virginia Foxx in North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District. Chuck talks with us about what it means to run in rural Western North Carolina, why Foxx’s long career of extremism and inaction has failed the people she’s supposed to represent, and how Democrats can reclaim ground in so-called “unwinnable” districts. We dig into the GOP’s culture war chaos, the local issues that actually matter to voters, and what it will take to retire Virginia Foxx once and for all.