The 2014 election season is about to get underway in earnest. Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling sets the stage for host Donna Martinez with a look at the latest polling data on the U.S. Senate race for the seat now held by Democrat Kay Hagan, key North Carolina congressional races, and the state legislature. Jensen explains why two men who won’t be on the ballot – President Obama and Gov. Pat McCrory – could impact who wins and who loses in 2014. Then we turn to early support for Senator Kay Hagan from the national group, Senate Majority PAC, which has been running a TV ad praising Hagan and calling out the man her team seems to think will secure the GOP nomination: House Speaker Thom Tillis. You’ll hear the Hagan ad, along with Tillis’ reaction that he’s happy to be targeted by Hagan and national Democrats. Next are comments from Gov. Pat McCrory, who assesses his first year in office and delivers a holiday message. That’s followed by Martinez’ conversation with Arthur Rich, a Republican seeking the GOP nomination for North Carolina’s 1st District seat in Congress. Democrat G.K. Butterfield currently holds that seat, but Rich tells Martinez why he thinks it’s time for new ideas and representation for eastern North Carolina. And finally, Martinez gets an update on the courtroom drama for “Moral Monday” protesters who were arrested and charged earlier in the year after refusing to disperse at the state legislature. Rick Henderson of Carolina Journal shares what’s taken place in the Wake County courtroom as the protesters’ cases have begun to make their way through the system.