GOP holdouts remain undecided on forthcoming vote to strip powers of incoming Democrats
Reps. Mike Clampitt and Mark Pless tell me they're undecided on how they'll vote on a 131-page bill that offers little assistance to western North Carolina and strips incoming Democrats of key powers.
On Wednesday, North Carolina House lawmakers will return to Raleigh for what may be the most anticipated, contentious and unpredictable vote of the year.
They’ll decide whether to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 382, the 131-page measure that marginally addresses Hurricane Helene and largely focuses on reducing powers of incoming Democratic leaders.
Following the Senate’s vote this week to override the governor’s veto, the measure is now in the House’s hands for final approval. Thus far this session, the House has overridden all 28 of Cooper’s vetoes that have come before the chamber.
While history suggests party buckers ultimately come back to their caucus on an override votes, things are a lot more complicated heading into Wednesday’s vote.
Last month, Rep. Destin Hall said he was confident that Reps. Mike Clampitt, Karl Gillespie and Mark Pless— the three western North Carolina lawmakers who voted against the bill when it was initially considered— would ultimately support the override.
But after two weeks of internal discussions and some arm-twisting efforts behind the scenes, multiple Republicans tell Anderson Alerts they’re not yet convinced to support the measure.
On Friday, Clampitt and Pless said that they are still weighing their options.
“I’m not going to say where I’m at yet because I’m still undecided,” Clampitt told me. “[When] I get closer to time, I’ll have to make a decision.”
Pless appeared to be leaning toward voting against the override.
“I voted no the first time, and I have seen nothing, zero, so far, that changes my opinion,” Pless said.
Gillespie hasn’t publicly said how he’d vote, despite media inquiries.
Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Robert Reives said all 48 of his members should be present for the vote. “I am not aware of any Democrats that will not be there for the vote,” Reives said.
If that holds true, House Republicans would need all 72 of their members present and supporting the override.
Power test
Wednesday will mark the first public test of Hall’s ability to keep his party together since his GOP colleagues tapped him to lead the chamber next year. And that shift in leadership from Speaker Tim Moore to Hall presents the first opportunity for individual members to try to assert their independence and seek commitments from a new leadership.
Rep. Keith Kidwell, who wanted to be the next speaker, could present a major problem for his caucus by potentially walking off the floor as the override vote is called. Kidwell, who is arguably the most right-wing member of the House, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on how or whether he’d vote on an override.
While Kidwell supported the initial bill and has consistently stuck with his party on overrides, he could be trying to extract concessions from party leadership in exchange for his override vote. Kidwell is seen as highly likely to stick with his party, but I’m also told he’s not a 100% certainty at this point in time.
It’s not just Republicans, however, who could potentially walk off the floor or miss the vote.
Rep. Cecil Brockman is the most unpredictable Democrat in the chamber, followed more distantly by outgoing Rep. Michael Wray. Brockman and Wray faced tough primary challenges this year and have reason to resent their party for not coalescing around their reelection bids. Brockman ultimately won his race; Wray narrowly lost his.
While Wray voted against the bill and is seen as likely to oppose the override as well, Brockman was absent during last month’s vote. Even so, there’s minimal political incentive for him to side with Republicans, as he’s in a very liberal district (and one that won’t be redrawn until 2031).
Pless the biggest gray area
If any Republican were to sink the bill, the likeliest candidate would be Pless. He is infuriated with the process and lack of meaningful Hurricane Helene relief in it.
“It was just moving [$227 million] from one savings account to another savings account that they created, and then there was $25 million in there to do something with debris. That's not even the tip of the iceberg. It did nothing for my people, and I've waited on that. I even asked to be at the table. And that didn't happen.”
Indeed, the bill transfers $227 million from the state’s rainy day fund to a dedicated Hurricane Helene fund, but doesn’t actually spend the money on recovery efforts.
After an initial review of the measure, Pless said he called on Moore to remove the “disaster relief” label from it, which didn’t happen.
“I asked for the disaster part to be taken off the label on the bill and was told, ‘No,’” Pless said. “Before it ever went to the floor, before it ever became a thing, I asked them to take the disaster out of it and just make it a regulation bill.”
Pless added that he isn’t taking calls from top House GOP leaders. “I haven't spoken to leadership, and I'm not going to.”
Moore’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pless said he’s currently receiving anywhere from 300 to 500 emails a day, with the vast majority of messages coming from people supporting his opposition to the bill and calling on him to vote the same way on an override.
Pless joked that after Wednesday’s vote, he may very well find himself reassigned to a terrible office space—an allusion to Moore placing Democratic Rep. Terence Everitt in a cramped basement office after Everitt tangled with a state senator on social media (Everitt has characterized his office relocation as an act of revenge from a frustrated Moore who he saw as not taking kindly to his call for an investigation into Moore's years-long intimate sexual relationship with a married woman, who was also a state employee).
“It’s going to be an interesting day,” Pless said of the forthcoming override vote. “So if I end up in a broom closet next year, you'll know that my decision was not correct.”
Pless said he’ll see what arguments his colleagues make on the House floor before reaching a final decision. But he insisted he wouldn’t walk off the floor and would indeed give the override an up or down vote.
“I'm not going to make a decision based on party,” Pless said. “I'm not going to make a decision based on my approval or disapproval of the governor. That's not my place. Mine is to make a decision on what I think is best for North Carolina, and that's where I hope to end at the end of the day.”
Transparency Note: Given the national interest and importance of this story, I have lifted the paywall on it. An analysis of the provisions of the bill is available here. If you want to support my continued coverage of North Carolina politics, please consider making or gifting a paid membership here.
Apparently, Pless got major heat from his constituents when he spoke at a recent Haywood Co Commissioners meeting. I think it was Dec 2. It’s on their YouTube page.