‘I want Democrats to win’: NC Rep. Cecil Brockman says he won’t switch parties
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The party switch
On April 5, 2023, Democratic N.C. House Rep. Tricia Cotham switched to the Republican Party, provoking polarizing reactions across the state. The move has had a ripple effect in North Carolina state politics. Read coverage from The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer on the move and the aftermath.
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On a day when speculation was rife over which Democratic lawmakers could follow state Rep. Tricia Cotham’s defection to the Republican party, a High Point legislator took his name off the list.
Cotham gave the House GOP a majority large enough to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes with her formal announcement Wednesday — news that brought joy to Republicans and outrage from Democrats from Mecklenburg County to the White House.
Social media rumors and a freelance journalist’s report had identified Rep. Cecil Brockman as the next Democrat most likely to change parties, but Brockman confirmed to The News & Observer Wednesday evening that he isn’t planning to switch parties and will remain a Democrat.
“I have been a lifelong Democrat and I want to see Democrats win,” Brockman said in a statement. “I think Donald Trump has made it acceptable for us to be vile and nasty. We used to be a party that said when they go low, we go high. Now, when they go low, we go even lower.”
“I think we are losing people when they read how we treat members of our own party,” he added. “We need to get moderates to win the state, not just the people who agree with us. I want Democrats to win and I plan on helping them do so.”
Earlier Wednesday, Cotham confirmed that she was leaving the Democratic Party and joining her colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle. At a morning news conference with several GOP leaders, including House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger, Cotham said she felt shunned by her party and encountered increasing hostility from Democratic colleagues, including “vicious” attacks over her votes and stances this session.
Moore said he had talked with Cotham about moving to the GOP over the last few weeks, and suggested that other Democrats could follow suit, saying that Cotham wasn’t “the only Democrat we’ve had great conversations with.”
Brockman says he’s staying in the Democratic Party
Cotham and Brockman both came under pressure last week after they, along with Democratic Rep. Michael Wray, missed a veto override vote in the House for Senate Bill 41, a gun rights package that included a controversial repeal of the state’s permit law for handgun purchases.
Their absence meant that House Republicans needed 71 votes, not 72, to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto. At the time, Republicans only controlled 71 seats. Now, after Cotham’s move to the party, Republicans control 72 seats — guaranteeing the GOP has a veto-proof majority in both chambers of the legislature.
When news of Cotham’s decision to switch parties was first reported Tuesday, Brockman told The N&O that Democrats only had themselves to blame.
He pointed to the barrage of criticism he, Cotham and Wray received over their absences during the override vote, and said he thought the reaction from Democrats and party officials had pushed Cotham to switch parties.
“I think she just wanted to do what’s best for her district and when you’re constantly talked about and trashed — especially the way that we have been over the past few weeks — I think this is what happens,” Brockman said.
On the issue of Republicans gaining a supermajority, Brockman said that Democrats should be more introspective.
“I hope the (Democratic) party takes a strong look at how they react to people making the decisions that they make,” Brockman said. “They put themselves in this position.”
Responding to the rumors about him Wednesday evening, Brockman said he believes Democrats need to accommodate members who vote differently, but emphasized that he was staying in the party and wanted to try to change things from within to help Democrats win going forward.
This story was originally published April 5, 2023 at 9:17 PM.
