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Drawing on more than thirty years of reporting experience, Rob Christensen combines firsthand analysis of modern politics with a well-researched look at the past. Beginning at the turn of the twentieth century, when North Carolina was a racially charged one-party state, The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics profiles an electorate that has embraced both center-left progressives and Bible Belt conservatives, while never fully swearing off the divisive politics of the past.'' - Adam Hochberg, correspondent, National Public Radio ''Rob Christensen's study of North Carolina politics provides all the necessary reference points for those who wish to understand the political forces that shaped the state in the twentieth century. This book is more than issues and events, however. It is an encyclopedic biographical reference of the people whose electoral success, achievements, and misadventures have long confounded those seeking to properly place North Carolina on the political spectrum.'' - Howard E. Covington Jr., coeditor of The North Carolina Century: Tar Heels Who Made a Difference, 1900-2000 ''Rob Christensen takes readers on a colorful journey through the familiar and forgotten byways of North Carolina politics. Combining astute analysis with sharp character portraits, Christensen lays claim to the mantle of V.O. Key Jr. as the chief interpreter of North Carolina's modern political system.'' - Jeffrey J. Crow, Deputy Secretary of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources ''This is a sweeping narrative of 100 years of North Carolina politics, filled with fascinating characters and stories and told by an experienced journalist. Even if you think you know the story of the state's twentieth-century politics, you'll be pulled in by Christensen's engaging narrative.'' - Ferrel Guillory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ''Most newcomers to North Carolina (and native Tar Heels, too) wonder how the state can elect Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt or John Edwards and Elizabeth Dole at almost the same time. Rob Christensen cleaves that Gordian knot with solid historical background and the keen observations of a clear-eyed witness. Read this book!'' - William Price, coeditor of Discovering North Carolina: A Tar Heel Reader