North Carolina Republicans came within one seat of gaining a supermajority in the state General Assembly.
On Tuesday night, the state GOP did gain a supermajority in the North Carolina Senate.
At a time of deep political division and continued hyper partisanship, it is perhaps only fitting that there was a split decision at the General Assembly.
I just spoke w/ NC House majority leader John Bell. He says Republicans will not achieve a supermajority in the #ncga, falling one seat short, with 71. He is "disappointed" but excited about some of the areas where House candidates won, calling it "a great election night" #ncpol
— Jeff Tiberii (@j_tibs) November 9, 2022
Under the new balance of power, Republicans cannot simply override gubernatorial vetoes along party lines, but it becomes possible with the help of just one Democrat.
Republicans sought the additional seats to give them veto-proof majorities in each chamber come January for the first time since late 2018.
Since then, not one of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's nearly four dozen vetoes — mostly on bills following the GOP's preferred policies on issues such as guns, immigration, taxes and abortion — has been overridden.
Other Legislative Results
- In the state Senate, Republican candidates picked up two seats in the eastern North Carolina. All race results are unofficial until certified by the state board of elections.
- Republican Buck Newton (Wilson) defeated Democrat Toby Fitch in a redrawn district, while Bobby Hanig won a contest against Valerie Jordan, in a district that runs from I-95 to the Atlantic Ocean.
- The thirtieth seat on the Republican side came from New Hanover County, where Republican incumbent Michael Lee was victorious against Democratic challenger Maria Morgan.
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) released the following statement about the election results:
"Tonight the voters of North Carolina spoke loud and clear," Berger said. "They returned a Republican supermajority to the state Senate."
We stopped a GOP supermajority tonight when North Carolinians voted for balance and progress. I’ll continue to work with this legislature to support a growing economy, more clean energy, better health care and strong public schools. - RC
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) November 9, 2022
The results mean that Republicans are likely to test Cooper’s ability to sustain a veto.
