Brother (or sister), can you spare a dime?

by Thomas Mills | Feb 25, 2015 | Editor's Blog | 11 comments

In March, PoliticsNC will be two years old. When I started writing, the GOP in North Carolina had just taken control of the legislature and Governor’s Mansion for the first time in more than a hundred years. The North Carolina Democratic Party was in utter disarray and, after 20 years, I was burned out on running political campaigns.

I wanted, and still want, politics to be more of a debate over ideas than fights over data points on a poll. I wanted to provide a voice of opposition to the Republicans in Raleigh since the Democratic Party couldn’t muster one. And finally I wanted to provide analysis of politics from the perspective of someone who has been in the trenches of the political battlefield.

The response was overwhelming. Within a few months we had a readership of about 20,000 per month. By the beginning of 2014, we had the attention of the national media. I found myself on MSNBC’s Hardball, in the documentary Midterms and on the front page of the Sunday New York Times (above the fold, I might add). PoliticsNC became a go-to source for anyone covering North Carolina politics and a must-read for those following them.

It’s been a hell of a ride. I couldn’t have done it without help. Amanda Underwood has been here since before we were a thing. She designed the site and keeps it running. She takes my frantic calls in the morning and at night. As a result, we’ve been live continuously with very few glitches. John Wynne provides as solid analysis as anyone covering North Carolina politics and provides a solid conservative perspective that counters my center-left viewpoint. He’s remarkably prolific and reliable. Contributors like Alex Jones, Matt Phillippi, Alex DiLalla and Michael Cooper provide additional perspectives and content to keep it interesting. Thanks to them all.

Finally, you, our readers, have given us great feedback and ideas. I’ve tried to provide a space for a free exchange of ideas and tried to keep the comment section from becoming a cesspool of insults. Most of you have made it a great place to comment and argue.

Now, I ask for your support. This blog has been a labor of love and supported by volunteers. My overhead is not extravagant but it’s substantial. I ask for your help in defraying those costs and to offer at least meager rewards for the work that we do.

Thanks for reading. If you’ve enjoyed it, we’d appreciate a tip.

Thomas Mills

Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >

11 Comments

Norma Munn on February 27, 2015 at 8:35 pm

Thanks for the work you and your colleagues do. Small contribution on the way via PayPal.
I am curious about something. Do you have a policy on entities or people from who you would not accept support? If not, please give some thought to developing some kind of guidelines that will protect what you are doing against complaints of having been influenced by “money” from some source. Not easy to do, but from experience as an advocate dealing with elected officials, I can attest that it will at some point save you from difficulties.
Barbara Dantonio on February 26, 2015 at 12:40 pm

I am in also. Will be sending $25. You do an awesome job and I appreciate getting the news from a real source.
- Thomas Mills on February 26, 2015 at 8:27 pm
  
  Thanks, Barbara, and thanks for reading.
Ted Remington on February 25, 2015 at 5:34 pm

Paypal will be sending you $10 a month. Open-ended.
- Thomas Mills on February 25, 2015 at 8:39 pm
  
  Thank you, Ted, and thanks for reading. That’s very generous of you.
Gregory Stone on February 25, 2015 at 3:07 pm

Excellent job — I will contribute as well
- Thomas Mills on February 25, 2015 at 8:39 pm
  
  Thank you much.
Lyndon Helton on February 25, 2015 at 12:02 pm

I just contributed $100. I read your posts almost everyday. I appreciate that you and John provide insight from both the Republican and the Democratic perspective.
- Thomas Mills on February 25, 2015 at 8:40 pm
  
  Thanks, Lyndon. Thanks most generous and thanks for the kind words.
aleycat on February 25, 2015 at 11:43 am

You’ve done an excellent job and I enjoy reading your blog. does Politics NC have a 501c3 or 501c4 tax emempt status?

Because, really, you cannot count on most of the news outlets in North Carolina to provide balanced reporting and so by doing research and providing the the information you do you really could be considered a social welfare organization. You should apply for that status.

I don’t know if our legislators have already axed this deduction for the state or are working on it. I would think it is something they would keep because it directly affects their donor base.
- Thomas Mills on February 25, 2015 at 8:42 pm
  
  I’ve considered the non-profit route but there are a lot of questions. That said, thanks for reading and thanks for your kind words.