
Host, Locked In | Op-Ed Writer, Carolina Journal & WS Magazine | #RealEstate, #Finance, #Investment, #Business, #Political & #Restaurant #Advisor | #FoodLover
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Joined January 2009
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Full tank of premium gas — $100
Groceries — $103
Drive time — 6 hours total
Spending a day with her & roommates — PRICELESS
Hands down today has been my favorite day of the entire summer. My daughter transitioned to a new apartment as she enters her junior year at the illustrious @EastCarolina 💜
#LOCKEDIN
Algenon Cash retweeted
.@PeteHegseth, cabinet secretaries shouldn't be wasting taxpayer dollars on campaign style videos. Kristi Noem learned that the hard way.
This is about you: the incompetence you’ve displayed, the bad advice you’ve given to president, and your shameful and embarassing episodes from firing our top generals to texting war plans to reporters.
This one hits close to home.
High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson has defeated Republican Congressman @Addison_McD, flipping North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District.
I’ve had Cyril on Locked In twice over the past several months. Our conversations weren’t campaign speeches. We explored his vision for Congress, the challenges facing North Carolina, federal spending, tariffs, housing, healthcare and whether he could earn the trust of voters beyond his own political party.
Five months ago, we were asking whether a Democrat could win this district. Tonight, we have our answer.
Congratulations to Cyril Jefferson on a remarkable victory. I appreciate his willingness to sit down for two substantive conversations and answer difficult questions about the job he was asking voters to give him.
Now comes the responsibility of governing.
youtu.be/TQxYu-41Nxc?is=22ZT…
We’re witnessing further evidence of a monumental shift in American politics, and I don’t think most people have fully grasped the magnitude of what’s happening.
When I was just cutting my teeth in politics roughly two decades ago, I participated in the resurgence of the conservative movement. The Republican Party was the primary vehicle through which we advanced our message, principles and vision for America.
I had the privilege of being mentored by strong Black conservatives such as @MichaelSteele. I followed the writings of @ThomasSowell, studied the leadership of Colin Powell and marveled at the extraordinary knowledge of @CondoleezzaRice. These were people who helped shape my understanding of conservatism, public service and the responsibility that comes with political leadership.
And conservatism was a powerful political force in those days. @Republicans didn’t simply compete for control of Washington. They built an extraordinary political infrastructure across America, eventually dominating state legislatures and governors’ mansions throughout the country.
Consider something remarkable. When @realDonaldTrump first won the presidency in 2016, Republicans controlled 31 governors’ mansions. Following that election, their number increased to 33.
Ten years later, Democrats have now secured at least 30 governorships. For the first time in 16 years, Democrats will hold a majority of America’s governors’ mansions.
But the real story goes much deeper.
According to @axios, @TheDemocrats are positioned to control 51 of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers. They’re also on track to hold complete control of 22 state governments, compared with just 18 for Republicans. If the current results hold, approximately 75% of Americans will live in states governed by Democrats.
Think about that massive transformation. The political infrastructure Republicans spent decades constructing has undergone a dramatic reversal in a single election cycle. And much of that transformation occurred in states that Republicans once considered reliably conservative.
While everyone is focused on Democrats capturing Congress and the extraordinary Senate victories, I believe the restructuring of state governments may prove even more consequential.
Governors and state legislatures influence education, taxation, housing, economic development, election administration and the congressional maps that help determine who represents us in Washington. These decisions will shape the political environment leading into the 2028 presidential election and long afterward.
And here’s what I find particularly troubling as someone whose political thinking was shaped by the conservative movement.
The Republican Party once demonstrated that conservative principles could build a durable political coalition across the country. But somewhere along the way, too much of that movement became attached to the personality and political identity of one man.
I’ve argued for years that conservatism and the Republican Party are not necessarily the same thing. The events of this week have made that distinction more important than ever.
As I stated on election night, I believe we’re witnessing a biblical moment in American politics. Not simply because one party defeated another, but because an entire political order is being challenged and potentially restructured.
And the consequences of that transformation could reverberate through American politics for an entire generation.
The wilderness season has begun for Republicans. What emerges from it will depend on whether Republicans rediscover the conservative principles that once gave their movement purpose, or continue defining themselves through allegiance to a single political figure.
History is unfolding right before our eyes.
axios.com/2026/11/05/2026-mi…
Algenon Cash retweeted
Bad policy, bad character make bad politics: erratic tariffs, impulsive Iran war, blanket pardons, apparent corruption, weaponized justice, ICE brutality, mountainous deficits, hiding Epstein, abandoning allies and coddling enemies. Hoping for a course correction, for the country and for my party.
The real story from yesterday’s election isn’t the House. It’s the United States Senate. And I don’t think Americans fully appreciate what just happened.
Consider this. There were 35 Senate elections yesterday, including 33 seats carrying full six-year terms that won’t expire until January 2033. That’s four years beyond the next presidential election.
And Democrats didn’t simply win a few competitive races. They flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats, including victories in Texas, Kansas, Iowa and South Carolina. These are deeply conservative states that many political analysts considered virtually impossible for Democrats to win just a year ago.
Kansas hadn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1932. Texas hadn’t done so since 1988. South Carolina hadn’t elected one since 1998. Democrats also captured Republican-held seats in North Carolina, Maine and Ohio while successfully defending seats in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts.
Think about the magnitude of that political shift when Republicans previously had only razor thin margins in both chambers.
Democrats have already secured a Senate majority of at least 54 seats, including two independents who caucus with them. And we’re not finished counting. Mississippi and Alaska remain unresolved, with Democratic candidates narrowly leading incumbent Republicans in both states. When the dust settles Democrats might have 56 seats in the upper chamber bringing them incredibly close to having a filibuster proof majority.
Also 60 votes in the Senate gives Democrats the real potential to convict Donald Trump in an impeachment trial.
Even more consequential, six of the seven Republican seats Democrats flipped carry full terms extending through 2032. Ohio was a special election with a shorter term. These aren’t political losses Republicans can simply reverse in another two years. The consequences will extend well beyond Trump’s presidency.
Now imagine you’re a Republican such as Senator @TedBuddNC facing reelection in 2028.
You just witnessed your party lose Senate elections in states where @Republicans have dominated for decades. You watched candidates who embraced Donald Trump suffer defeats that would have been almost unimaginable a year ago. And you have to be asking yourself whether your political allegiance to one man is worth sacrificing your own career.
Here’s my theory. We’re about to witness a remarkable number of Republican lawmakers in Washington suddenly rediscover their voices.
For years, too many Republican members of Congress have been reluctant to challenge Trump publicly. They understood the political consequences of crossing him. But yesterday fundamentally changed that calculation.
Trump has two years remaining in the White House. These senators have political careers they hope will extend decades beyond his presidency. And now they have evidence that loyalty to Trump doesn’t guarantee political survival.
If I’m a senior Republican senator facing voters in 2028, I’m deeply concerned by what I just witnessed. Not simply because @TheDemocrats won, but because they won in states that Republicans once considered safely beyond Democratic reach.
I know the private conversations taking place among Republican senators this morning are considerably different from what we’ve heard publicly over the last several years. The question is whether those conversations will finally translate into some political independence.
The balance of power has changed. But I believe the real story over the next two years will be what happens inside the Republican Party as lawmakers begin reconsidering their relationship with Trump.
Keep your eyes on the Senate. This election changed American politics well beyond 2028.
reuters.com/live/us-midterm-…
Well, now we get to find out.
Just days before Election Day, High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson joined me on Locked In to discuss what he would actually do if voters sent him to Washington.
We talked about federal spending, tariffs, housing, healthcare, executive power and the difficult decisions facing the next Congress. At the time, these were questions for a candidate asking voters to trust him with the job.
Now they’re questions for a congressman-elect.
Jefferson defeated Republican incumbent @Addison_McD to become the next representative of North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District.
I’ve had Cyril on the show twice, and one thing I’ve consistently emphasized is that elections should be about more than personalities and party affiliations. Voters deserve to understand what candidates intend to do with the power they’re asking to receive.
Well, Cyril has received his mandate. Now comes the responsibility of delivering.
Here’s a look back at what he told me before the election.
Watch our full conversation on YouTube: youtu.be/TQxYu-41Nxc
My, my, my. We went looking for regime change in Iran, and the Iranians effectively helped unleash a political weapon of mass destruction right here at home.
And they did it without firing a single missile at the American mainland. Pause for a moment and think about that.
The United States possesses the most sophisticated military technology ever developed. Yet Iran exposed how vulnerable even the world’s greatest superpower can become when the battlefield extends beyond military targets into global financial markets.
Reuters reported that Iranian officials deliberately prolonged negotiations to deny Trump a political victory before the midterms. Combined with drones, naval mines and threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the standoff kept pressure on oil prices and inflicted financial pain on American households. Every trip to the gas station became another reminder of a war Americans were paying for.
And yesterday, voters delivered the political consequences in Washington, state legislatures and governors’ mansions across the country.
Sound familiar? In 1979, the Iranian Revolution helped trigger an oil shock that undermined Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Nearly half a century later, we’re witnessing another extraordinary intersection of Iranian geopolitics, American energy prices and political upheaval.
Every American should be watching closely. The implications extend far beyond Donald Trump or the Republican Party.
We live in a globally interconnected world where military superiority doesn’t guarantee strategic victory. Iran doesn’t need a nuclear warhead to inflict enormous economic damage on the United States. A few drones, naval mines, leverage over critical shipping routes and the willingness to prolong a confrontation can impose costs that even the most advanced weapons systems cannot easily prevent.
We wanted to reshape Iran’s political future. Instead, the economic consequences of that confrontation helped reshape our own.
The irony is extraordinary. And the lesson should be deeply unsettling to anyone who believes military superiority makes America invulnerable.
Fascinating to watch.
nbcnews.com/world/iran/iran-…
Algenon Cash retweeted
Thank you, North Carolina.
We are grateful to God and the people of the 74th District for the privilege of serving the past 6 years. I am proud of the work we accomplished, the record we leave behind, and the progress we made on behalf of the North Carolina families.
My heart goes out to all my friends who held local and state elected offices representing Forsyth County. I’ve been out front nearly two years on what was coming this midterm election season, so I knew @NCGOP were headed for a difficult night, particularly at the state level. But I never fully accepted that the losses would reach this deep into our own community, right down to the school board.
Watching @RealJeffZENGER, @DonnyLambeth and so many other people I’ve known and respected lose their seats has been difficult. These are good people who devoted years of their lives to public service. We haven’t always agreed, but I’ve seen their commitment to Forsyth County firsthand.
I’ve been extremely critical of Donald Trump and the direction of the @Republicans. My disgust came from the party abandoning conservatives. But I also recognize that many capable local elected officials are now paying the political price for decisions and controversies far beyond their own offices.
To me, this is a painful illustration of what happens when a political party becomes so attached to a national identity that the individual records of its local leaders are overshadowed by the party’s reputation.
I believe the Republican Party has brought much of this upon itself. But that doesn’t mean I take pleasure in seeing people I know and respect lose their opportunity to serve.
I hope my friends know that their contributions to Forsyth County are appreciated, regardless of what happened at the ballot box yesterday. You weren't just running against your Democratic opponents. You were also running against the leader of your own party.
carolinajournal.com/dems-ous…
Algenon Cash retweeted
Tonight, the American people sent a clear message — they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them, and leaders who offer concrete solutions to the challenges they face.
These results were only possible because outstanding candidates stepped forward in every region of the country — including in areas once considered long shots. They came from different backgrounds and represented a range of political perspectives, but were united by shared values, a belief in public service, and a commitment to putting the people of their districts and states first.
We also owe a debt of gratitude to the thousands of election officials and volunteers from both parties who helped ensure a smooth election and carried out one of the most essential functions of our democracy.
While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future.
They redrew the congressional district. They poured millions into the race. They brought in Donald Trump, JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
And Don Davis still won.
Republican lawmakers deliberately redrew North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District to make it more favorable to their party. The new district supported Trump by double digits in 2024, and Republicans believed they finally had an opportunity to unseat Davis.
More than $53 million in advertising spending and reservations went into this congressional contest.
But the voters had other plans.
Davis defeated Republican Laurie Buckhout, securing a third term in Congress despite an extraordinary effort to remove him.
And remember, Davis is one of the more moderate Democrats in Congress. His victory is another reminder that voters don’t necessarily fit into the rigid political categories Washington keeps trying to impose on them.
North Carolina continues to deliver one of the most consequential election nights in its modern political history. You can redraw the district lines. You can’t redraw the will of the voters.
wral.com/news/nccapitol/elec…
Well, I guess we’re not getting that $5,000. KANSAS! Democrats have just flipped another Republican U.S. Senate seat.
Democrat Adam Hamilton has defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas since 1932, seven years before The Wizard of Oz premiered in 1939. Kansas hadn't elected a Democratic U.S. senator since before Dorothy ever discovered the Yellow Brick Road.
NINETY-FOUR YEARS!
Donald Trump carried Kansas by 16 points in 2024. He and Vice President JD Vance personally campaigned for Marshall. And tonight, Kansas voters elected a Democrat.
Republicans are losing seats in states where Democrats haven’t won in generations. The consequences of this election will extend far beyond Washington.
Election Night 2026. What a night.
rollingstone.com/politics/po…
MAGA is over. You cannot sustain losses of this magnitude and expect to maintain your grip on American politics.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa has defeated three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott in TEXAS, ending more than three decades of Republican control of the governor’s mansion.
Texas! A state Donald Trump carried by nearly 14 points just two years ago. And tonight, Republicans have lost both the governorship and a U.S. Senate seat.
North Carolina. South Carolina. Georgia. Texas.
The political map is being rewritten before our eyes.
For a decade, Donald Trump has dominated the Republican Party, demanding loyalty, punishing dissent and turning a conservative political movement into something increasingly centered around one man. I’ve argued that this kind of political arrangement was never sustainable. Tonight, we’re witnessing the consequences.
I believe the entire nation is watching the end of a political era that has divided and plagued this country for the better part of a decade.
MAGA is over. The Republican Party now faces a reckoning over what comes next. The wilderness season has begun.
cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas…
“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”
Democrat James Talarico has defeated Republican Ken Paxton, flipping a U.S. Senate seat in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988. Thirty-eight years!
Donald Trump had a choice. He could have supported longtime conservative Senator John Cornyn. Instead, he endorsed Ken Paxton, helping drive Cornyn out of the Republican primary. Now Democrats have taken the seat.
This is what happens when you abandon conservative principles in favor of blind loyalty to one man. You surrendered your independence, pushed aside traditional conservatives and allowed Donald Trump to redefine what it means to be a Republican. And tonight, the consequences are unfolding across America.
The wilderness isn’t simply a place of punishment. It’s a place where pride is humbled, loyalty is tested and the truth about what’s in your heart is revealed.
I know it’s precisely what the Republican Party needs. Time away from power to confront what it has become, remember what it once stood for and decide whether its principles matter more than its allegiance to one man.
The wilderness season begins now.
nbcnews.com/politics/2026-el…
Republicans. Can you hear me now? This is what happens when you turn your back on conservative principles in favor of one man.
Democrat Annie Andrews has just flipped South Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat, defeating Donald Trump’s handpicked candidate, Darline Graham, in a state he carried by 18 points just two years ago.
South Carolina! One of the most reliably Republican states in America.
North Carolina has flipped. South Carolina has flipped. Georgia has elected a Democratic governor.
I’ve been saying it for two whole years. Donald Trump has destroyed the Republican Party. You abandoned your principles, pushed aside traditional conservatives and demanded absolute loyalty to one man instead of the values you once claimed to defend.
And tonight, the consequences are unfolding across America. The wilderness season begins now.
nbcnews.com/politics/2026-el…
Donald Trump may have spent six years laying the groundwork for tonight’s Democratic victory in Georgia. Since losing the state in 2020, Trump has relentlessly attacked Georgia’s Republican leadership, attempted to overturn the election results, demanded political loyalty and repeatedly inserted himself into the state’s elections.
And tonight, Georgia elected Keisha Lance Bottoms, the first Black woman governor in American history, ending nearly three decades of Republican control.
There’s a remarkable irony here. Trump carried Georgia in 2024, yet Republicans have now lost the governor’s mansion.
I believe Trump’s years of political meddling helped create this outcome. He turned Georgia into a political battleground not just between Democrats and Republicans, but within his own party.
And tonight, Republicans are confronting the consequences. Elections have consequences. But so does poor leadership.
nbcnews.com/politics/2026-el…
History made in Florida tonight. Congratulations to Florida Governor Elect Donalds.
Republican Byron Donalds has defeated Democrat David Jolly, becoming Florida’s first Black governor and the first Black Republican elected governor in American history. He will join Maryland’s Wes Moore among the nation’s Black governors.
But there’s another interesting story here.
Donalds was one of Trump’s most outspoken allies in Congress. Yet as Election Day approached, his campaign quietly removed most references to Trump from its website, including its previous promise to enact the Trump agenda.
Donalds never publicly abandoned Trump, but the change in campaign messaging was unmistakable.
While Trump’s endorsed candidates suffered major defeats in North Carolina tonight, Donalds delivered a Republican victory in Florida.
thehill.com/homenews/campaig…
And there it is. Another Republican seat flips in North Carolina. I’ve been predicting this night for almost two whole years. I really wanted to be wrong.
Democrat Jamie Ager has defeated Republican Jennifer Balkcom in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, a district Donald Trump carried by nearly 10 percentage points in 2024.
First Roy Cooper flips a Republican-held U.S. Senate seat. Now Jamie Ager flips a Republican-held congressional seat in Western North Carolina.
Two major Democratic victories in a state Trump carried three consecutive times. Election Night 2026 is underway, and the political landscape in North Carolina is changing right before our eyes.
thehill.com/homenews/campaig…






