After Republicans lost their supermajority, they’ve made a last-minute scramble to strip incoming Democrats of their power
WASHINGTON— North Carolina Republicans are wielding the final days of their toxic supermajority to strip incoming Democratic Gov. Josh Stein and key Democratic officials of their established powers. Instead of focusing on key issues like hurricane relief, Republicans have prioritized consolidating their power before they lose their supermajority status. This blatant power grab comes after the DLCC and state Democrats’ victory in breaking the Republican supermajority in the House in the 2024 election.
This power grab follows a classic GOP playbook. We’ve seen similar attempts in states like Wisconsin, where Republicans used their supermajority to pass a number of laws curbing Gov. Evers’ powers back in 2018. Democrats’ gains in the North Carolina House this year turned the tide after years of egregious veto overrides by Republicans determined to entrench their own power. This victory marked a significant step forward in protecting democracy and ensuring the will of the people is upheld in North Carolina.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
“North Carolina Republicans have lashed out in a blatant 11th-hour power grab. It’s truly unconscionable that Republicans used their final days in the supermajority to undemocratically lock themselves into power, rather than addressing the issues North Carolinians are actually facing like hurricane recovery efforts. The promising news is this is the last time Republicans can weaponize unchecked power in North Carolina. The critical legislative wins the DLCC helped achieve in North Carolina will check Republicans’ warped agenda by restoring veto power for incoming Democratic governor Stein. Once the new legislature is sworn in, Republicans’ toxic political games will be met with checks and balances – we have fundamentally altered the balance of power in the Tar Heel State.”
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
###
