With latest shakeup, Democrats have Black leaders in both NC House and Senate
Democrats in North Carolina’s state House selected Rep. Robert Reives to lead the chamber’s minority party Thursday.
Reives, a lawyer and former assistant district attorney from Goldston in Chatham County, served as deputy minority leader for the last four years.
“He’s someone that is so expressive on the floor and carries our message so well,” said Rep. Zack Hawkins, a Democrat from Durham. “I think he’s going to be excellent.”
Reives previously served as co-chair of the House Democrats’ Freshman Caucus and treasurer of the NC Legislative Black Caucus.
“I am honored to serve and look forward to working with my Republican and Democratic colleagues and Governor Cooper to move North Carolina forward,” Reives said in a press release Thursday.
With Reives’ election, Democrats in both chambers of the General Assembly will be led by Black men for at least the next two years.
Sen. Dan Blue, a Democrat from Raleigh, was reelected in November to continue serving in his current position of Senate minority leader, which he has held since 2015. Blue served as the first Black House speaker from 1991 until 1994.
House Democrats were the last lawmakers to elect leadership ahead of the new legislative session, as House and Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats all held elections in November.
Rep. Darren Jackson, of Raleigh, announced earlier in November he wouldn’t run for reelection after holding the position for four years. Following that announcement, Reives said he would run, WRAL reported last month.
“If he hadn’t offered to run, he would’ve been recruited to run,” said Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Democrat from Greensboro. “People respect him so much on both sides of the aisle.”
While minority leaders don’t wield nearly as much power as majority party leaders, Reives’ role will be to unite the party and serve as the “moral compass,” Gov. Roy Cooper’s senior advisor Morgan Jackson previously told The News & Observer.
Reives will name a deputy minority leader at a later date.
Rep. Tim Moore, a Republican from Kings Mountain, will continue to serve as House speaker, and Sen. Phil Berger, a Republican from Eden, will continue to serve as Senate leader.
Democrats now hold 51 seats in North Carolina’s House, down four after the general election. Republicans hold 69 seats, but are still shy of the votes needed to override gubernatorial vetoes.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Domecast politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 4:35 PM.
