General Assembly returns to Raleigh. Here’s a look at the veto overrides

Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome by Ronni Butts and Sophia Bailly, writing from a newly – and temporarily – reconvened General Assembly.

The General Assembly successfully overrode eight of Gov. Josh Stein’s 14 vetoes Tuesday, enacting them into law. Tension was high. And for us reporters at the legislature, we were met with some surprises, including a scoop about the mini-budget bill.

A Veto-Rama for the books

Both chambers overrode a record number of vetoes in one day, with 12 bills in the Senate and eight being enacted in total, according to Lauren Horsch, a spokesperson for Senate leader Phil Berger.

• Both chambers successfully overrode House Bill 193, a bill that allows private school teachers and volunteers to carry firearms with the approval of the school. Read Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, Kyle Ingram and Avi Bajpai’s story for details.
• House Bill 318, which will require law enforcement to comply with immigration authorities, was enacted on Tuesday. Avi Bajpai and Kyle Ingram have more.
• Rep. Carla Cunningham, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, was the only Democrat to break from the party in an override vote. She gave a passionate speech defending her position on the bill, calling for immigrants to assimilate to United States culture. To read more and learn the reactions of her Democratic colleagues, read Avi Bajpai’s story. Here’s video of Cunningham’s speech.

There were a lot of moving parts on Monday. Here’s a recap of the bills that saw a successful veto override from Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan and Sophia Bailly.

Meanwhile, in other big news Tuesday, lawmakers also voted on a mini-budget. It passed the Senate and will head to the House today for a vote. Capitol Bureau Chief

• Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan has more on what it includes, and what still is being negotiated. The mini bill came after Gov. Josh Stein held a news conference earlier in the day to add pressure on legislators to pass a spending bill.

Protester escorted out of General Assembly

Karen Ziegler, 71, a Durham resident and member of Democracy Out Loud, was escorted out when Democratic Rep. Nasif Majeed voted to override Stein’s veto of House Bill 805. After shouting “Trump is a rapist,” Ziegler was escorted outside the legislative building to her car.

The bill addresses several issues regarding biological sex, gender transition treatment, and K-12 school policy regarding library books and religion. This extensive bill received backlash from Democrats in the Senate and the House. Majeed was the only Democrat to break from his party, saying that he had some moral objections to the policy. Read Ronni Butts’ story for more.

As for Ziegler, she returned for a Democracy Out Loud demonstration in front of the Legislative Office Building.

– Sophia Bailly

Roy Cooper breaks fundraising record

Former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper broke fundraising records Monday, bringing $3.4 million to his newly launched U.S. Senate campaign in the first 24 hours.

Cooper’s campaign announced that $2.6 million came from donations, and 95% were from individual donors giving $100 or less. The other $900,000 came from the Democratic Party through joint fundraising committees.

“The record-breaking enthusiasm for Roy Cooper’s Senate launch is a testament to his strong and deep support across North Carolina,” said Jeff Allen, Cooper’s campaign manager, in a statement.

Kentucky’s Amy McGrath, a fighter pilot, set the last record in 2019 of $2.5 million. She ran unsuccessfully for Senate against Republican Mitch McConnell, the chamber’s longest serving majority leader.

Cooper addressed his supporters on social media Monday night, saying he “appreciates all the help” they had given to his campaign.

“For those of you who have contributed, who have forwarded our announcement video to your family, your friends, your coworkers; I deeply appreciate it,” Cooper said, on camera. “This is going to be a long, difficult campaign and I’m going to need you guys every step of the way.”

Cooper made his entrance into the Senate race in North Carolina Monday morning. He’s expected to run against Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley, whose campaign confirmed is getting ready to announce his own candidacy.

On Tuesday, former congressman Wiley Nickel announced he is dropping out of the Democratic race and endorsed Cooper. “I’ve seen firsthand his steady, bipartisan leadership,” he wrote, ending his note by saying, “Public service is a part of who I am and you’ll hear more from me soon.”

— Danielle Battaglia

What else we’re working on

• A day after the Trump administration threatened to withhold funding from Duke University and Duke Health, CNN and Fox News reported that $108 million has been frozen. Monday Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote Duke leaders Monday about alleged discriminatory practices, but didn’t provide examples, Brian Gordon reports. The national reports have not been independently confirmed
• A bill to help people remove squatters from their properties is heading to Stein’s desk – this time, without a provision adding regulations to pet stores. The N&O’s Anna Roman has the story on the governor’s puppy mill veto and the newly proposed legislation.

Today’s newsletter was by Ronni Butts, Sophia Bailly and Danielle Battaglia. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.

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This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM.