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Charlotte Talks: Breakup Of GOP Supermajority Shifts Balance Of Power In NC Politics

Twitter / @NC_Gov and @NCHouseSpeaker

Monday, Nov. 12, 2018

At least a dozen General Assembly seats flipped from Republican to Democrat in last week's election, ending the GOP's supermajority and giving Gov. Roy Cooper's veto stamp a little more muscle. What effect will the shifting balance of power have on state politics?

For the past two years, North Carolina government has operated under a cycle of legislation, vetoes, veto overrides and, sometimes, lawsuits.

That cycle was the result of having a Democrat in the governor's mansion and a Republican supermajority in the General Assembly that has been pushing to weaken executive power since Gov. Roy Cooper's 2016 election.

Democrats campaigned on breaking up the supermajority in the midterm, and were successful. As of now, 15 Republican seats flipped to the Democrats, including several House and Senate seats in Mecklenburg County.

Will Republicans, who still hold the majority in the legislature, be inclinced to work with Democrats? Or will divided government result in gridlock?

GUESTS

Jeff Jackson, North Carolina Senate, Democrat - Mecklenburg, District 37 (@JeffJacksonNC)

Jonathan Kappler, North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation, executive director (@jonathankappler)

John Hood, John Locke Foundation, chairman; John William Pope Foundation, president (@JohnHoodNC)

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