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Ronni Butts is a freelance journalist based in North Carolina covering state politics and elections. This summer, Ronni returned to The Raleigh News & Observer to cover legislation, midterm campaigns, immigration and healthcare as a politics intern after completing a summer politics and metro internship there in 2025. She is also a member of the fourth cohort of The New York Times Corps mentorship program.

Ronni served as a co-editor-in-chief at the Campus Echo, NCCU's student newspaper, in the 2025-2026 academic year. She is also an alumna of the 2025 Politico Summer Journalism Institute. 

Ronni is a senior at North Carolina Central University who aspires to be a White House correspondent. She will graduate in May 2027 and is searching for full-time roles and fellowship opportunities. 

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Articles

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Resume

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Multimedia

Recent Work

Raleigh News & Observer •

In hesitant interview, Balkcom ‘not sure’ if Edwards should resign after censure

After Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents Western North Carolina in Congress, dropped his reelection bid amid a House ethics investigation into sexual misconduct, state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom decided to run in his place.

When asked if she believed that Edwards, a fellow Republican who was censured by the U.S. House, should resign from office, Balkcom didn’t have a clear answer.

“Do you think he should resign from his position, or are you comfortable with where things stand now?” Spectrum News’ R...
Raleigh News & Observer •

NC sues Trump administration over Medicaid eligibility changes

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is suing the Trump administration over changes to work requirement exemptions for medically frail individuals, which he contends could jeopardize the coverage of tens of thousands of North Carolinians with severe illnesses.

Jackson, a Democrat, and the other officials bringing the lawsuit allege that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, and the federal Department of Health and Human Services violated congressionally passed protecti...
Raleigh News & Observer •

NC GOP bans sex offenders from holding party office in new committee report

The North Carolina Republican Party recently added an eligibility requirement that bars those convicted of sexual abuse, violent felonies or child abuse from holding party office. Advocates for the new clause say adding the clause took years of convincing, despite calls on leadership to make changes.

The decision, which was finalized at the party’s state convention in mid-June, comes just months after long-time GOP leader and donor Harvey West, who was convicted of several sex offenses in 2000,...
Raleigh News & Observer •

NC’s first ICE detention center brings jobs, protests and uneasy questions

North Carolina’s first immigration detention center is set to open in the state’s northeastern corner before year’s end. Though activists have protested against the center, some residents say they don’t sense that opposition in their communities and look forward to the facility’s projected economic gains.

The GEO Group, one of the world’s largest federal prison contractors and owner of Rivers Correctional Institution in Winton, said in July that it signed a five-year contract with Immigration a...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Fact check: Trump falsely claims Cooper prompted FEMA workers to skip homes

During a Republican campaign rally speech last week in Gastonia, President Donald Trump claimed that Federal Emergency Management Agency workers skipped Western North Carolina homes with pro-Trump signs during Helene recovery at then-Gov. Roy Cooper’s behest.

“Remember the houses? If they had a Trump sign — which was almost all of them — that they wouldn’t touch them. Remember that? That was Cooper,” Trump said. “They were told, ‘If it has a Trump sign, you know, vote for Trump and all that stu...
WUNC News •

Explainer: The constitutional amendments on the 2026 ballot

This November, in addition to deciding races for U.S. Senate, Congress, and the General Assembly - among others - voters will determine the fate of three proposed amendments to the North Carolina Constitution. The ballot measures involve a broader mandate for voter ID, capping the state income tax, and limiting property taxes. Notably, the referenda will appear on the back of the ballot for many voters.Here's what they are, what they would do, and what some supporters and opponents say.
Raleigh News & Observer •

More than 250,000 in NC may lose Medicaid coverage under new work requirements

North Carolina has just six months to implement new Medicaid eligibility requirements after receiving final guidance this month. Implementing new federal work requirements and strict state mandates will be costly for the state and could lead to thousands losing health coverage.

More than 3 million North Carolinians rely on Medicaid. But according to Melanie Bush, deputy secretary for North Carolina Medicaid, an upwards of 255,000 of them who access Medicaid through expansion could lose health c...
Raleigh News & Observer •

Understaffing, DOGE cuts at NC’s federal wildlife lands stretch workers thin

Monitoring thousands of tundra swans, snow geese and other waterfowl that flock to Eastern North Carolina is among Wendy Stanton’s fondest memories of working at the state’s wildlife refuges. Conserving federal lands and maintaining endangered and at-risk animal populations was more than work, she said. It was a way of living.

In the two years since Stanton retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife and habitat conservation efforts across more than 400,000 acres in the state have...

Watch Me Moderate Durham's Mayoral Debate!

In October 2025, I moderated Durham's only mayoral debate in more than 10 years. The debate, between Mayor Leonardo Williams and Anjanée Bell, was held at North Carolina Central University.

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                                      Handle: @ronnibutts

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