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.
Religion and faith have played an important part in the United States going all the way back to our founding fathers. Denied religious freedom in England, they sought to protect their liberty with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. President Dwight Eisenhower prompted Congress to add the words “under God” to the Pledge of...
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...
A collection of churches filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, May 14, challenging Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order banning mass gatherings, a move that has severely limited indoor worship services. Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Raleigh for a rally demanding churches be allowed to operate similar to big-box retailers. Ron Baity, president of Return America,...
State Rep. Greg Murphy will face Joan Perry July 9 in a runoff for the Republican nomination in the 3rd U.S. Congressional District. Former Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas won the Democratic nomination outright against five challengers. The special election, set for Sept. 10, will let voters choose a successor for longtime U.S. Rep. Walter Jones...
The House Health Committee overwhelmingly approved a bill blocking State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s controversial State Health Plan reforms while moving up a deadline to study alternatives. House Bill 184 prevents Folwell from imposing his Clear Pricing Project in 2020 to cut costs and increase billing transparency. He says those steps are crucial to save the...
Crowded is an understatement. Twenty-six candidates from four political parties lined up to seek the vacant 3rd U.S. Congressional District seat in a July 9 special election. The State Board of Elections said it is the largest complement of congressional candidates in memory. It comprises 17 Republicans, six Democrats, two Libertarians, and one Constitution Party...
Speculation has begun over who might run in a special election to succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, whose death Sunday left the 3rd U.S. Congressional District seat vacant. Political observers anticipate a crowded field that includes current state lawmakers and earlier challengers. Jones, a former five-term state House member, was elected in 2018 to...
North Carolina taxpayers will foot the bill for a $3 billion transportation bond and won’t have a say in being saddled with the debt if House Bill 1010 passes. Reps. Frank Iler, R-Brunswick; Michelle Presnell, R-Yancey; John Torbett, R-Gaston; and Phil Shepard, R-Onslow introduced the Build NC Bond Act on Monday, May 28. Many speculated...
RALEIGH — In a state primary race with national implications, House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, defeated seven other candidates and won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by freshman Democrat Kay Hagan. Supreme Court Justice Robin Hudson, a Democrat, was able to survive a challenge from Republicans Eric Levinson and Jeanette Doran and will face Levinson in the general election.
RALEIGH — Voters in the May 6 Republican primary for state House District 15 will choose between incumbent Phil Shepard, a two-term legislator who is a minister and civil service retiree, and Jim Morton, a farmer and retired educator running primarily on parochial issues.
