NC’s next governor: Republicans are already taking away power from Democrat Josh Stein
Welcome to the governor-elect edition of our Under the Dome politics newsletter. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief.
Democrat Josh Stein doesn’t take office until January, but Republicans are already working to make sure he has less power than outgoing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Democrats broke the Republicans’ supermajority in the General Assembly by one vote in the election, so anything Republicans want to push through before the end of the year has been fast-tracked. And by fast-tracked, I really mean fast.
You can read coverage from myself and the rest of our state politics team about all the power shifts in the bill, Senate Bill 382, that was just sent to Cooper’s desk for action. The biggest impact for Stein, if it becomes law, will be control of the State Board of Elections appointments shifting from the governor to the state auditor. Republican Dave Boliek was just elected auditor.
The bill had more policy provisions in it than Helene disaster relief, and Stein criticized Republicans for combining relief with power grabs.
“I spent today with local leaders, business owners, and volunteers in Western North Carolina. Many people and communities are hurting and need our help. But instead of stepping up, the Republicans in the General Assembly are grabbing power and exacting political retribution. How about they do their jobs so we can do ours?! North Carolina deserves better,” Stein wrote on social media on Tuesday.
Debate began on the bill about an hour after it was made public, though a draft version had been circulating throughout the day on Nov. 19. House Democratic Leader Robert Reives noted in debate that some North Carolinians may not realize the most powerful people in the state are the Senate leader and the House speaker, not the governor, and that Democrats were not part of crafting the bill.
“We seem to be about retribution. We seem to be about punishment. We seem to be about control,” Reives said.
This past week showed that the battle for control will continue to be a significant part of the General Assembly. Republicans are one vote shy of a supermajority.
In the 2025 legislative session, Reives will seek to keep his House Democratic leadership role, but the House speaker will change. Rep. Destin Hall will become speaker as a result of the incoming Republican caucus’ election, though he’ll still have to win another vote as a formality before it is official. Reives has worked more with Hall, the current Rules Committee chair, than he has with outgoing Speaker Tim Moore. Republican House members also elected now-House Majority Leader John Bell to the position of Rules chair for next year.
Stein and Hall have both told me that the two men don’t really know each other, unlike Stein and state Senate leader Phil Berger, who have served together in the Senate. Berger was chosen by his caucus to remain in charge.
Sen. Corbin, Asheville mayor picked for Helene committee
Stein, who said rebuilding of Western North Carolina is a priority of his administration, has started his Rebuilding Western North Carolina Advisory Committee. He chose a Republican state senator and a Democratic mayor who both serve Helene-devastated areas.
Among those he has chosen to give advice is Republican state Sen. Kevin Corbin of Macon County to co-chair the committee with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, a Democrat.
“I appreciate the opportunity to work for the much-needed recovery in Western NC,” Corbin said in a statement. “Our region has been damaged more severely than ever before and this calls for a robust response from federal, state, and local private partners. This bipartisan effort is needed for maximum impact for our citizens and businesses.”
Manheimer said that Western North Carolinians “are hopeful about the long-term recovery of our region with Governor-elect Stein’s focus and prioritization on rebuilding WNC.”
“It requires a massive, sustained effort that centers each household, business, and community’s needs to get back on our feet,” she said in a statement.
Stay informed about #ncpol
Listen to our Under the Dome podcast to stay up to date. Our new episode posting Monday will include N&O reporters Adam Wagner, Kyle Ingram and Avi Bajpai as we break down that Helene/powers bill, including the elections changes.
This newsletter will take a break next Sunday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but I’ll see you back here the following Sunday.
You can sign up to receive the Under the Dome newsletter at newsobserver.com/newsletters. Want your friends to get our email, too? Forward them this newsletter so they can sign up. You can also email me questions you may have about incoming Gov.-elect Josh Stein or outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper at dvaughan@newsobserver.com.
.jpg)