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Surprise upsets: Some incumbents ousted by primary challengers in legislative races
Incumbents on both sides of the state legislative aisle fall to primary challengers on Tuesday night as North Carolina looks toward November.
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Speaker Moore announces NC House committee assignments
On Tuesday, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, announced committee assignments. House Republicans have 71 out of 120 seats, and would need 72 out of 120 for a gubernatorial veto override. This will likely be a focus when issues that are especially partisan - abortion, 2nd Amendment laws, voter ID, tax policy - come before members.
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N.C. midterm election results: Live updates
Throughout election night, Carolina Journal will be providing up-to-the-minute results from key state and federal races across North Carolina. Check back for regular updates as the evening unfolds. U.S. Senate race Cheri Beasley (Democrat) vs. Tedd Budd (Republican). 10:30pm update: 47% Beasley, 51% Budd. N.C. Congressional races District 1: Don Davis (Democrat) vs. Sandy Smith...
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Most House Republicans urge Cooper to reject government ‘vaccine passport’
Sixty-five Republican members of the N.C. House of Representatives are urging Gov. Roy Cooper to avoid creating a government “vaccine passport” linked to COVID-19. All but four members of the House Republican Caucus signed on to a letter sent to Cooper Tuesday, April 20. The letter asks the governor to reject a passport “or any...
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N.C. House Republican majority grows, dashing Democratic hopes
North Carolina Democrats lost four seats in the state House on Election Day. Republicans will open the 2021 legislative session with a 69-51 majority. It was an upset. Legislative redistricting, brought on by lawsuits in 2019, should’ve made it easier for Democrats to gain ground. Instead, the party lost seats during an election year where...
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House speaker calls out Dems for backing agenda that would ‘defund police’
Speaker of the House Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, says nearly 50 N.C. Democratic House lawmakers and candidates have backed a dangerous pledge to defund the police, but House Minority Leader Darren Jackson, D-Wake, says that’s a lie. During a Monday, Sept. 14, news conference, Moore attacked Democrats for signing a pledge to accomplish a list of policy...
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N.C. lawmakers introduce four new mini-budgets
The General Assembly is continuing its push to pass mini-budgets as the stalemate over Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the General Fund budget continues into another month. Cooper vetoed the $24 billion budget bill June 28, primarily because the budget plan lacked provision to expand Medicaid. House Republicans have so far been unable to garner...
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Despite privacy concerns, House committee approves license plate bill
A bill expanding where automatic license plate readers can be deployed has passed the N.C. House Transportation Committee, despite objections from several members over privacy concerns. House Bill 87 would allow the Department of Transportation to approve requests from municipalities, counties, and other government agencies to install automatic license plate readers within state rights-of-way. Automatic...
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House Democrats have big night, ending GOP supermajority
State Democrats accomplished a major goal in Tuesday’s midterm election, breaking the Republican Party’s supermajority in the General Assembly. Unofficial results show the GOP, which has a 75-45 advantage in the 2017 session — three votes more than needed to override a veto by Gov. Roy Cooper with a unified caucus — lost nine seats....
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Emergency management director discusses slow-moving recovery effort
Lawmakers remain frustrated over the slow pace of disaster relief after Hurricane Matthew devastated southeastern parts of the state more than 1 ½ years ago. The House Select Committee on Disaster Relief peppered Emergency Management Director Michael Sprayberry during a Monday, April 30, meeting with questions about why many counties have yet to receive federal...
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Incumbent Hardister faces former state senator and second challenger in HD 59 primary
Republican primary, state House District 59 • Rep. Jon Hardister (incumbent, three terms). Education: Greensboro College, political science degree. Occupation: Vice president for marketing of family owned First Carolina Mortgage. Career highlights: House Majority Whip, named legislator of the year by various organizations, board member of numerous civic and college organizations, chairman or vice chairman...
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UPDATE: House redistricting plan ‘double-bunks’ members in four districts
Editor’s note: This story was updated after initial publication to include the double-bunking of Reps. Carl Ford and Larry Pittman. Eight members of the state House either will face challenges from incumbents or will need to run for election in new legislative districts. Proposed maps for the 2018 election cycle came out Saturday afternoon from the...
