After the State Supreme Court prevented an extreme Republican gerrymander in 2022, new maps were enacted. In what we fully expected to be a tough year, we believed that there were paths for the rightwing to regain supermajorities in both chambers. 

We needed to block a supermajority in one chamber to protect Governor Cooper’s veto power against a radical agenda that includes abortion bans and anti-voter policies. We saw a clearer path to our goal in the State House where we needed to prevent losing three seats.

In November, we preserved enough power to stave off what would have been a devastating rightwing victory — in the North Carolina House we helped prevent a supermajority by 315 voters. 

In April 2023, after promising voters that she would protect abortion and prevent rollbacks on the rights of LGBTQ+ North Carolinians, and advocate for gun safety — Rep. Tricia Cotham single-handedly reversed that victory.  She joined the rightwing to create a supermajority in the House. This sudden decision not only disregards the will of the voters who elected her, it could erase Governor Cooper’s veto power on some critical issues. 

 

• We needed to prevent a supermajority in one chamber to protect Governor Roy Cooper’s veto power, and selected the North Carolina State House. 
• Every district targeted in North Carolina was a tight race. With a three-seat margin to the goal, we needed the widest path possible to have every opportunity to prevent the supermajority — no close races could be left on the table.  
• With a net of -2, we were able to hold off a supermajority in North Carolina.
• In key races, we made sure that our in-state partners were as close to parity as possible for spending on TV. The fact that our support allowed candidates’ messages to get out on TV in some crucial districts was critical to blocking the rightwing supermajority in the House. 

• Two new districts gained in the House kept the supermajority out of reach of the radical right by just three seats.
• Eight TSP-supported incumbent state representatives were re-elected to Raleigh by margins as narrow as 5 percent.
• In the Senate, two candidates we supported won new seats. They added a seat for the minority and prevented a supermajority in the Senate by just two seats.

• In TSP’s first election in North Carolina, we helped to break the supermajority in the House of Representatives to help provide Governor Roy Cooper with an effective veto.
• The House minority gained nine seats as 12 candidates we supported were elected to the chamber.