GOP remains comfortably in charge at NC statehouse

GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Several million dollars from independent groups on top of an expensive US Senate race that negatively portrayed the Republican agenda in Raleigh helped Democrats knock off a few GOP incumbents at the North Carolina legislature on Election Day.

But the victories didn’t extend far enough to alter the General Assembly’s landscape for the next two-year session.

Republicans are still comfortably in charge and retain veto-proof majorities. House Republicans lost four incumbents but gained a Democratic seat. The Senate GOP expanded its majority by one seat.

The next order of business is for House Republicans to pick a new speaker to succeed Thom Tillis, who is heading to Washington as US senator. Sen. Phil Berger is expected to receive a third term as Senate leader.

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