North Carolina power shift: Republicans push major changes before new officials start
NC Senate Republicans moved forward with changes that would affect incoming Democratic officials powers. The override vote happened just weeks before new elected officials are set to take their positions
In a party-line decision the North Carolina state Senate pushed-through changes that would limit authority of soon-to-be Democratic leaders (this move came about a month before they take office)
The bill which Gov Roy Cooper previously tried to stop with his veto got over-ruled by GOP-controlled Senate: this affects multiple incoming officials positions. The far-reaching changes target Josh Stein who won governor race and other Democratic winners from last fallʼs election
The re-structured powers would impact several key state-wide positions:
- Governorʼs office executive control
- Attorney generals legal authority
- Lieutenant governors duties
- School superintendents oversight abilities
The Republican-majority Senate didnt need any Democratic votes to achieve their goal - the strict party-line vote showed clear political divide in state leadership. The timing of these modifications raised eye-brows as they come right before the power hand-over thats scheduled for early-2024
