Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’

The bill aims to block part of the federal health care law that requires people to buy health insurance.

From WTVD-TV:

Republican legislators are doing what they can to find enough votes to override Governor Perdue’s veto of House Bill number 2.

The bill would block part of the federal health care law that requires people to buy health insurance or face a penalty.

Governor Perdue said she believes this is all politics at play.

“I actually continue to believe this bill is a political distraction,” Governor Perdue said. “It’s been a political distraction from the start.”

Perdue believes the issue of requiring Americans to buy health insurance or face a fine will end up in the Supreme Court.

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From newsobserver.com:

During the Republican response to the governor’s State of the State address, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger said the new GOP majorities at the legislature will make cut taxes and make government smaller.

“The state of our economy is grim,” Berger said. “And North Carolina faces serious challenges. These demand our undivided attention – and Senate and House Republicans already have taken steps to get our state back on track.

“But instead of maintaining the status quo, and continuing the failed policies that got us in this mess, we’re working to usher in a new era of government responsibility and accountability.

“For far too long, decision-making in these halls has been driven by the belief that government has all the answers.

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From wral.com:

A Republican candidate for 11th Senate District, which covers Wilson and Nash counties, filed a defamation lawsuit on Thursday against his incumbent rival over a campaign flier.

The lawsuit filed in Wilson County Superior Court claims that Sen. A.B. Swindell and the Democratic Party knowingly made misleading statements against Eldon “Buck” Newton in a campaign mailer.

The flier refers to an incident in 1990 in which Newton was charged with eight counts of drug-related crimes after he was mistakenly implicated in an undercover drug operation.

The charges were dismissed after the Watauga County district attorney discovered the error, saying the incident was a case of mistaken identity. A police officer involved in the operation was later relieved of his duties, according to 1999 documents provided when Newton sought his attorney’s license.

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From newsobserver.com:

The state’s Republican legislators lead Democrats in their use of Facebook and Twitter, according to the Raleigh public relations and lobbying firm Capstrat.

In a study of legislators’ tweeting and posting habits, Capstrat found Republicans more connected than Democrats, and women more than men.

Sen. Andrew Brock, a Republican from Mocksville, leads his chamber in Facebook friends, and Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger of Eden has the most Twitter followers.

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From WRAL.com:

Three months out from the November election and polls are showing that most voters are not happy with the Democratic majority in Congress or the state legislature.

A new generic ballot from Public Policy Polling, a Raleigh-based Democrat polling company, shows Republicans with a 49-41 margin over Democrats in legislative races.

At their statewide campaign kickoff, Republicans stood shoulder to shoulder sounding more confident than they’ve been in a long time.

“The entire 20th Century passed us by with Republicans sitting on the sidelines, and that changes this year,” said State GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer.

The political climate is tense considering the relatively unpopular Democrat president and governor, ongoing concerns about the Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation, all in the midst of an unstable economy.

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From CharlotteObserver.com:

epublicans and Democrats celebrated Labor Day by kicking off the county-to-county, household-to-household fight for political dominance of North Carolina.

Political parties, candidates and activist groups have been raising money and attacking each other all year. But the close of summer signals the time when voters actually start paying attention. Translation: Get ready for mailboxes stuffed with campaign literature, prime-time commercials touting candidates and robocalls interrupting dinner.

“Traditionally, Labor Day, for lack of a better term, is the starting block,” said state Sen. Phil Berger, an Eden Republican and the party’s leader in the Senate. “The public really starts focusing its attention on the elections.”

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From CharlotteObserver.com:

As they fight for control of the General Assembly, the N.C. Republican Party has seen its fundraising nearly double since 2008, while the Democratic Party has raised less than half of what it had two years ago.

Democratic legislative leaders, however, still have bigger war chests than their GOP counterparts, according to new reports filed this week with the state elections board.

Second-quarter reports show that GOP fundraising for state races this election cycle is up 75percent from July 2008, while the Democratic Party’s has fallen 62percent.

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From wtkr.com:

North Carolina Democrats remain ahead of Republicans in raising money for the fall political season, but the GOP appears to be narrowing the gap.

Campaign finance reports this week show Senate leader Marc Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney are still the most prolific campaign fundraisers in the Legislature, with the pair holding more than $1.3 million as of June 30.

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From Carolina Journal Online:

Forget jobs and health care. The most far-reaching effect of North Carolina’s midterm elections could be which party gets to draw legislative and congressional districts next year.

The reason: Redistricting can go far in making or breaking a party’s political fortunes. States are required to redraw their districts every decade to reflect population shifts documented in the census. If Tar Heel Republicans control the process this time around, it could be their ticket out of an electoral slump that dates back to Reconstruction.

But if Democrats — who have a 30-20 majority in the Senate and 68-52 edge in the House — maintain control, it could guarantee their command of state politics for the foreseeable future and strengthen their majorities in the state’s congressional delegation.

“There are massive implications for the future, not least because the two parties seem so evenly matched,” said Andy Taylor, chairman of the political science department at N.C. State University. “The composition of a few districts could make a significant difference on which party is in control. That obviously ups the stakes considerably for this election.”

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