Republicans Net Three New Supermajorities in One Month, Bringing Total to 25
Democrat state representatives switching parties and one special election over the last month gave Republicans three new supermajorities in state legislatures, bringing the total to 25 nationwide.
This week, North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham announced her departure from the Democrat party and effectively changed her party affiliation to the Republican Party, ultimately giving the Republicans in the Tar Heel State a veto-proof supermajority in both the House and Senate.
“The party wants to villainize anyone who has free thought, free judgment, has solutions and wants to get to work to better our state,” Cotham said during a press conference announcing her decision to formally leave the Democrat party. “Not just sit in a meeting and have a workshop after a workshop, but really work with individuals to get things done.”
“If you don’t do exactly what the Democrats want you to do, they will try to bully you. They will try to cast you aside,” she added.
“This is a happy day, but it’s not a decision that was made in a day,” Thompson said in an interview with USA Today. “I’ve struggled with this and have been thinking about it for more than a year when it has become clear that the Republican Party better represents my values and philosophy today.”
Cotham and Thompson’s decision represents two of three states to achieve the supermajority milestone this year.