Political stunner this week and we learn that Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was arrested on Wednesday and charged with public corruption following a multi-year investigation by the FBI. Cannon, a Democrat, resigned his office late Wednesday evening after posting bond. He is charged with, among other things, accepting cash in the mayor’s office in exchange for help with zoning and permitting. Host Donna Martinez gets reaction from Democratic political consultant Thomas Mills, who says he doesn’t think Cannon’s trouble will have a big impact on the 2014 elections. Turning to campaign news, Martinez and Mills then discuss Mills’ contention that Democrats, including Kay Hagan, have adopted the wrong political strategy for the 2014 cycle. Mills explains that the “red meat” message about the billionaire Koch brothers’ support of Republican candidates only resonates with party faithful already prepared to vote for Democrats. He discusses what he thinks Hagan and other Democrats should do instead. Then we turn to our latest Candidate Conversation. Martinez talks with Judge Eric Levinson, one of the three candidates on the primary ballot for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. The others are Jeanette Doran and Justice Robin Hudson. Levinson talks about his background, his judicial philosophy, and why he wants to sit on the state’s highest court. Next is a look at the big stories “On the Trail” this week with Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson. He tells Martinez why one Republican judge has raised questions over her quest for a Supreme Court seat, why Congressman Walter Jones is facing a tough re-election in the 3rd District, and why the allegations have begun to fly between Woody White and David Rouzer in the GOP primary for the 7th District race. That’s followed by political consultant Doug Raymond’s view on the role Heather Grant’s gender may play in the U.S. Senate primary race. Raymond explains the history that says being female usually translates into two or three percentage points for the candidate.