Gary Pearce is the go-to guy for the press corps.
The longtime Democratic consultant is knowledgeable, friendly and accessible as well as a reliable source of pithy quotes on the current state of political affairs.
It's no surprise, then, that he was quoted 47 times in the state's major papers over the past year.
"I like being quoted," he told Dome via e-mail. "I feel like I've gained some knowledge over the years, and I like sharing it with people — just as I like learning from people who know things I don't. The secret to life is to keep learning."
A former adviser to longtime Gov. Jim Hunt, former Sen. John Edwards, Senate candidate Erskine Bowles and Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker, Pearce is the definitive Democratic insider. At the same time, he's not working for any current campaigns, so he's considered an independent voice.
"I'm willing to be more candid than are most partisans," he wrote. "I'm not spinning anybody anymore."
More after the jump.
