RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Democrats say they have broken the Republican supermajority in the state legislature after the 2024 election cycle, and therefore, the GOP's ability to override the governor's veto without cross-party collaboration.
This supermajority allowed the party to pass conservative legislation, like tighter abortion restrictions, without support from Gov. Cooper.
However, many of these close-call races that flip state House of Representative seats from red to blue are headed for a recount.
The General Assembly has 170 seats in total: 120 of them in the House of Representatives and 50 of them in the Senate.
While Republicans appeared to maintain their supermajority in the state Senate, they appear to be falling short of the 72 seats they need in the House to maintain their veto-proof control.
The GOP gained this power last year when now-Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham switched parties.
Some races that are too close to call won't be finalized until election boards review provisional ballots. After that, races that are won by less than one percentage point are eligible for a recount.
As of Wednesday night, two incumbent House Republicans were behind by just hundreds of votes, including Rep. Frank Sossamon in his race against Bryan Cohn and Rep. Ken Fontenot in his race against Dante Pittman, leaving the GOP one seat short.
Unofficial numbers also have Cotham leading her race, but Democratic opponent Nicole Sidman has already said she believes they are headed for a recount.
These races are all the more important to the GOP with Democratic Governor-Elect Josh Stein next in line.
“Yesterday, North Carolinians sent a clear message that they believe we will go further when we go together, not as Democrats, Republicans or Independents, but as North Carolinians," Stein said in a statement. "The issues facing our state – rebuilding western North Carolina, creating good jobs, strengthening public schools, ensuring safe neighborhoods, and protecting personal freedoms – are not partisan issues; they are North Carolina issues. To build a brighter future for everyone in our state, we must come together across our differences and get to work. I’m ready to go.”
WCNC Charlotte talked with former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory about the changes.
"The North Carolina voters were mavericks because they divided their vote," McCrory said. "They didn't go along party lines. They looked at each individual, from the president to the governor."
However, he says a disagreement between branches makes things more complicated.
"We're going to have the constant battle between the executive branch and the legislative branch, and I anticipate the judicial branch having to step in a lot," McCrory said.
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.