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)

  • Martin Center president highlights book on college’s ills

    Jenna Robinson’s latest Martin Center column focuses on an unintended negative impact of higher education. There is general agreement among higher education observers and reformers that tuition and fees at public universities have increased at an unsustainable pace. It’s equally uncontroversial to note that financial aid hasn’t kept up…
    Mitch Kokai, November 15, 2019

  • Ending funding for China’s bad actors

    The latest edition of Hillsdale College’s Imprimis features Duke grad Roger Robinson of the Prague Security Studies Institute. He focuses on U.S. financing of bad actors in communist China. China has over 700 companies in our stock and bond markets or capital markets. It has about 86 companies…
    Mitch Kokai, November 15, 2019

  • Gun sales climb amid Democratic confiscation threats

    Stephen Gutowski of the Washington Free Beacon reports on the latest gun sale numbers. Last month’s gun sales were up 10 percent compared with October 2018, two reports from industry groups show, marking the third straight month of increased sales. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and Small…
    Mitch Kokai, November 15, 2019

  • Exploring the ‘Epstein didn’t kill himself’ meme

    It’s hard to look at social media these days without seeing some reference to the sentence “Epstein didn’t kill himself.” Michael Brendan Dougherty of National Review Online explores the ubiquitous meme. Signs saying “Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself” are springing up on highway overpasses. Popular podcast host Joe Rogan…
    Mitch Kokai, November 15, 2019

  • A questionable impeachment sales pitch

    Jim Geraghty of National Review Online considers Democrats’ case for impeaching President Trump. There’s a certain “heads I win, tails you lose” mentality to the way Democrats are attempting to sell impeachment to Trump-weary Republicans. Democrat: President Trump tried to withhold congressionally approved military aid in order to…
    Mitch Kokai, November 15, 2019
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  • This weekend on Carolina Journal Radio

    Mecklenburg County voters recently rejected a sales-tax increase for “arts and parks.” Joseph Coletti places that vote in context of N.C. counties’ overall record on recent sales-tax votes for the next edition of Carolina Journal Radio. Jordan Roberts discusses his work with a group called RIP Medical…
    Mitch Kokai, November 15, 2019

  • New Carolina Journal Online features

    Julie Havlak reports for Carolina Journal Online on strings attached to new funding for the N.C. Department of Transportation. Shannon Watkins’ Daily Journal looks into community college “noncompleters.”…
    Mitch Kokai, November 15, 2019

  • Martin Center column explores student loan default rates

    Madeline Baker writes for the Martin Center about student loan default rates across the country. When students are late making a monthly payment on their federal student loans, the loan becomes delinquent. And if they don’t make any payments for 270 days, most types of federal student loans go…
    Mitch Kokai, November 14, 2019