Catalyst: Jim Martin and the Rise of North Carolina Republicans

by John Hood

In 1985, newly elected North Carolina governor Jim Martin met with Tennessee governor Lamar Alexander, U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and six other Republican leaders to map out a strategy for making the GOP competitive in state and local elections, particularly in the South. That the strategy this group developed has succeeded shows Martin's under-appreciated role as a catalyst for political change in North Carolina and beyond.

Genres: Politics

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2015

About the author

John Hood is president of the John William Pope Foundation. Hood also serves on the board of the John Locke Foundation, the state policy think tank he helped found in 1989 and led as its president for more than two decades.

Since 1986, Hood has written a syndicated newspaper column on politics and public policy. A frequent radio and television commentator, Hood is the author of seven nonfiction books on such subjects as business, advertising, public policy, and political history. In 2021 he switched to writing fiction. His Folklore Cycle series of historical-fantasy tales set in early America currently includes the novels Mountain Folk (2021) and Forest Folk (2022) as well as the novelettes The Bard: A Mountain Folk Tale (2022), The Pixie Light: A Forest Folk Tale (2023), and The Giant (2024).

A former Bradley Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Hood teaches at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. His articles have appeared in magazines such as Readers’ Digest, The New Republic, National Review, Military History, and Reason as well as newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

At Locke, Hood created the E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders, which prepares young North Carolinians for leadership roles in the public and private sectors. He also serves on the faculty and as board chair of the NC Institute of Political Leadership; as co-chair of the North Carolina Leadership Forum, based at Duke University; as vice-chair of North Carolina Public Radio (WUNC), the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, and the Carolina Liberty Foundation; and on the boards of directors of the State Policy Network and the Student Free Press Association.

Hood received his BA in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he serves on the foundation board of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media and formerly served on the UNC-CH Board of Visitors. He earned a MA in liberal studies and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from UNC-Greensboro.

A native of Mecklenburg County, Hood now resides in Wake County with his wife, two sons, and a stepdaughter.

Reviews

[Frank Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone interested in North Carolina politics or history.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received from Goodreads Give Away program.

Well written book. The book is geared toward someone who is attuned to North Carolina politics. John Hood capitalized on Jim Martin's ride on the wave of the republican rise from his era. Pro-conservative slant.

The direction of the book would be most interesting to someone from the North Carolina political establishment or political junkie.

Good book. Adds to my knowledge. Passed on to another political junkie.

[David R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hood tells the story of Governor Jim Martin (1985-93) of North Carolina in a brisk style. As is too often the case the telling is rather more hagiographic than necessary: Martin is shown as always clever, bright, wise and sensible and opponents always scheming, political dimwits. This one is useful for helping understand the changes made in North Carolina politics through the 1970s and 1980s.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a thorough review of Jim Martin's elections and happenings/accomplishments while in office and after having served in elected office. I found the book's narrative on the boring side, however.

I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.

[Mark Ezzell]

Very well-written and researched.