N.C. GOP supermajority loss upsets Republicans' influence in state politics

After the November election, Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly lost their ability to override gubernatorial vetoes along party lines after only retaining 71 out of 120 House seats, one seat shy of their previously held supermajority.

A supermajority allows a party to override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both the state house and senate without having to consult the opposing party. 

Republicans have held the supermajority since April 2023, after Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg), elected as a Democrat, switched parties during her term. 

Having a supermajority has effectively allowed N.C. Republicans to execute their agenda, in spite of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s vetoes, and pass more than 20 bills, including measures limiting abortion access, parents’ rights in schools and adjustments to election law. 

“Our governor is, by design, a fairly weak governor,” Western Carolina University Political Science Professor Christopher Cooper said. “And so under supermajority times, you're taking a very weak position — the North Carolina governor — and making it even weaker.” 

N.C. Republicans retained a two-thirds majority in the state senate in the most recent election. However, without a two-thirds majority in both chambers, they can no longer override Democratic Governor-elect Josh Stein’s veto along partisan lines, giving him more leverage over policymaking. 

Cooper said he expects Stein’s first term as governor to look similar to Gov. Cooper’s when Republicans did not have a supermajority. 

“I think it will be a lot of playing defense, but he'll be much more successful in that defense than he would under Republican supermajority control,” Cooper said.

He said Republicans not having the ability to override Stein’s veto will likely lead to less legislation being passed. Democrats will still be unable to act on the offensive, he said, and Republicans will be more constrained. 

N.C. Rep. Kelly Hastings (R-Gaston) said the lack of a supermajority could impact the party’s strategy. Still, he believes it is likely Republicans will be able to find enough bipartisan votes to override a veto, especially since they are only one vote short of two-thirds.

Hastings said past school choice bills became law with bipartisan votes over the governor's veto, and he expects to see similar situations going forward.

“Since I first was sworn in in 2011, there have been a couple of times that we've not had a supermajority, and we were able to garner votes from the other side of the aisle to effectively govern and pass certain bills into law,” he said. “So I would expect that we'll see some of the same in the upcoming session.”

Cooper said he believes it is less likely there will be a lot of bipartisan cooperation in an attempt to override a veto. 

“It's possible, but the General Assembly is not exactly known for cross-party collaboration,” he said. “So I think it's unlikely that is what we'll see. I think we're more likely to see stalemate.”

N.C. Rep. John Autry (D-Mecklenberg) has served in the general assembly for four terms, meaning he has served when Republicans have held a supermajority and when they haven't. While Autry did not run for reelection, he will continue to serve until his term ends in January. 

Autry said that in 2016, before Gov. Cooper took office but had already been certified as the winner, a Republican-controlled NCGA passed legislation that weakened executive powers, including reducing board and commission appointments, requiring the governor’s top agency heads to be approved by the senate and taking the governor’s ability to appoint trustees to UNC System school boards.

Autry said he would not be surprised if similar attempts resurface in the next two months while the GOP still holds the supermajority.

“They cannot help themselves,” Autry said. “They have to do it. That's what single-party-rule means.”

Cooper acknowledged the possibility that Republicans may try to push more legislation through before losing the supermajority, but he said they have already been fairly productive in implementing their agenda, so there might not be much more left to achieve.

The NCGA will return to session on Tuesday, where they are expected to override Gov. Cooper’s September veto of H.B. 10, which would allocate $463 million for private school vouchers.

“It's still the current session,” Cooper said. “The Republicans can essentially do whatever they want, since Roy Cooper’s veto is not enforceable with the supermajority.” 

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