Where Are We With the Budget? "Very, Very Far Apart"

The state Senate's top Republican voiced tepid support this week for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, a switch from recent years, but not one that raises much hope for expansion backers. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger also said legislative negotiators remain "very, very far apart" on a final budget agreement with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, raising the prospect that the General Assembly may soon vote on its own budget proposal and send it to the governor to sign into law or veto. The past few years, that process ended in a veto, derailing teacher raises and other spending priorities, including construction projects in lawmaker districts around the state.

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N.C. Lawmakers Approve New Congressional & Legislative Maps 

The North Carolina General Assembly passed new redistricting maps Thursday, laying out the state’s political landscape for the decade to come.  The new maps likely create a 10 to 4 split for Republicans in North Carolina’s congressional delegation and the GOP will hold onto its majorities in the state House and Senate.  The three maps passed on party-line votes.  The governor has no veto power over redistricting.

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The Language of Redistricting: "Double-Bunking"

The new political maps that North Carolina Republicans passed through the legislature this week could unseat several politicians whose homes would now be in the same district as one of their fellow officials.  NC legislative Republicans passed redistricting maps Thursday to be used in elections from 2022 to 2030 for the state House, state Senate and U.S. House.  The rules that lawmakers adopted for the redistricting process specifically say that the maps should try to avoid “double-bunkings” – that is, placing two incumbents in the same district – whenever possible.  But, in some cases, it was unavoidable.

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Crystal Ball? What Virginia's Election Results COULD Mean for N.C.

Is the GOP’s electoral wipeout of Democratic candidates in Virginia a harbinger of things to come in North Carolina next year?  That’s the question running through political pundits’ minds the day after Republicans made a clean sweep of races for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general in the commonwealth, in addition to standing poised to retake the legislature. These victories come just one year after Joe Biden carried the state by a 10-percentage-point spread in the presidential race against Donald Trump.  According to political experts, Youngkin’s win in Virginia could serve as a roadmap for a Republican strategy next year in North Carolina.

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