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The Democratic Governor of North Carolina has vetoed a power grab attempt by the Republican party, who hold a supermajority in the state’s legislature. There is now potential for the Republicans to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto, leading to a new conflict over state authority and hurricane assistance.
Written by Nick Corasaniti
Governor Roy Cooper, a member of the Democratic party, rejected a bill approved by the Republican-led legislature in North Carolina that aimed to reduce the powers of his office and transfer more authority to Republican officials.
Republicans, who hold a majority in the legislature and have the power to overturn Mr. Cooper’s veto, introduced a bill that they claimed was primarily aimed at providing assistance to areas in North Carolina that were severely affected by Hurricane Helene in September. However, only a small portion of the 131-page bill actually addresses storm aid. Both Republicans and Democrats in the areas most impacted by the hurricane opposed the bill and argued that more funding for recovery efforts was necessary.
The remaining portion of the bill represents a major effort by Republicans to gain more power, as they may lose their supermajority next year. This supermajority allows them to pass legislation even if the incoming Democratic governor, Josh Stein, vetoes it. Mr. Stein, who currently serves as the state attorney general, easily won the recent election to replace Mr. Cooper. He defeated Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican whose controversial history hurt his chances in the election.
Mr. Cooper expressed his belief that the proposed legislation is deceitful and invalid, claiming that it violates the constitution and does not allocate funds to benefit Western North Carolina. He argued that the bill merely reallocates funds within Raleigh. Despite being labeled as disaster relief, Mr. Cooper stated that the legislation would limit the incoming governor’s authority to appoint important positions and diminish the impact of other Democratic officials.
One of the key points in the bill is transferring control of the state election board from the governor to the auditor, who is expected to be a Republican next year, potentially giving the G.O.P. a majority on the board. The bill would also restrict the governor’s power to appoint judges to state courts, limit the attorney general’s ability to challenge laws passed by the legislature, and make it more challenging for voters to correct mistakes on their mail-in ballots.
The veto presents a significant challenge for the Republicans in the legislature as they will need to decide on their priorities and unity. With only a slim majority in the lower chamber, key members of the party will need to weigh the decision of whether to support a bill that may not fully meet the hurricane relief needs of their constituents in exchange for increasing their party’s power.
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