Mitch Kokai

Senior Political Analyst
Mitch Kokai is senior political analyst for the John Locke Foundation. He joined JLF in December 2005 as director of communications. That followed more than four years as chief state government reporter for News 14 Carolina, now known as Spectrum News. The job included extensive coverage of the General Assembly for the 24-hour local regional television news channel.

Before News 14 Carolina, Kokai worked as a radio news reporter for seven years. He started a radio news department at WENC-AM in Whiteville, then led Chapel Hill’s award-winning radio news team at WCHL-AM. He spent two-and-one-half years as news director and assignment editor for Raleigh’s WPTF-AM.

Mitch is a Columbus, Ohio, native, and a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate. He has lived in North Carolina since 1989.

Posts by Mitch Kokai (page 1)

  • Biden Could Learn Lesson from Reagan

    Tevi Troy explains how the 46th president could learn from a successful predecessor. One of Joe Biden’s first actions as president was to begin to fulfill his promise to be “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen” and fire Peter Robb, the general counsel of the National Labor…
    Mitch Kokai, July 30, 2021
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  • Martin Center President Urges Restoration of Liberal Arts

    Jenna Robinson of the Martin Center focuses on necessary changes within American higher education. Universities are in dire need of reform. They are too expensive; the classwork is too easy; the curriculum too unfocused. Too many students drop out or don’t care. Indeed, many of today’s universities have strayed…
    Mitch Kokai, July 30, 2021
    Books on shelves in library

  • Biden Administration Trying to Lock in 2020 Voting Rules

    Margot Cleveland of the Federalist explores the impact of recent actions from the Biden Justice Department. [T]he U.S. Department of Justice issued two “guidance documents” purportedly “to ensure states fully comply with federal laws regarding election.” Those documents, however, really represent the Biden administration’s latest attempt to squelch…
    Mitch Kokai, July 30, 2021
    Election voting booths

  • Biden Targets ‘Trump Country’ Voters

    Christian Datoc of the Washington Examiner reports on the Biden political team’s electoral strategy. President Joe Biden’s domestic travel schedule appears to have two clear goals in mind: ginning up support for his infrastructure and economic proposals while boosting Democrats’ electoral chances heading into the 2022 midterm elections.
    Mitch Kokai, July 30, 2021
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  • Federal Government Props Up ‘Defund the Police’ Group

    Chuck Ross of the Washington Free Beacon highlights a questionable use of federal tax dollars. The federal government provides tens of millions of dollars each year to a nonprofit group that supports the movement to defund police departments and dismantle the criminal justice system. Officials with the Brooklyn-based…
    Mitch Kokai, July 30, 2021
    Yellow police line tape

  • Senator Worries About ‘BLM Effect’

    U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton writes at National Review Online about the negative impact of the Black Lives Matter political organization. Last year, our nation experienced the largest single-year increase in murder in American history and endured some of the worst riots in a generation. It’s no coincidence that…
    Mitch Kokai, July 30, 2021
    Broken window pane glass

  • National Review Believes CDC Mask Guidance Will Backfire

    Editors at National Review Online respond to the latest COVID-19 mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. Begin with one simple fact: The Delta variant of COVID-19 is more contagious than the original virus, but it is not more dangerous or likely to kill you. If you…
    Mitch Kokai, July 30, 2021
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  • New Carolina Journal Online Features

    Jeff Moore reports for Carolina Journal Online on the first round of submissions to Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s task force targeting indoctrination in public schools. Joshua Peters’ CJ Opinion highlights one left-wing group’s skewed education study.
    Mitch Kokai, July 30, 2021
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