This Politics & Polls is a pre-midterms double-header, on women and on North Carolina.

This year, a record number of women candidates are running for federal office. Where did this come from, and how many of them will win? Julian Zelizer and I drill in with Prof. Danielle Thomsen of U.C. Irvine, who’s visiting Princeton for the year. And here’s a look at what this year’s new wave of women activists looks like in a formerly solid Republican bastion, California’s Orange County.

We also spoke with Barry Yeoman, who recently wrote a deeply-reported piece on the craziness of North Carolina politics. Our focus was Anita Earls, a woman who is favored to win a state Supreme Court seat. She would strengthen that court as a check on what members of both major parties are starting to see as a runaway legislature.

It’s a great episode. Give us a listen!