It was only one vote. But by flipping a seat in the State House last fall, Democrats in North Carolina managed to break, just barely, a Republican supermajority that had allowed conservatives to dominate the state legislature for two years.
With Josh Stein, a Democrat, in the governor’s mansion, it appeared his party would now have the chance to slow Republicans’ stampeding approach to lawmaking, which included enacting a ban on most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy and power grabs that made the governor’s office weaker.
But one vote has proved to be too thin a margin, at least on some issues. Republican lawmakers on Tuesday overrode eight vetoes that Mr. Stein had issued during this legislative session, on issues from education to guns, in some cases by picking up a single Democratic defector.
On Wednesday, Republicans planned to try pushing through six more bills over the governor’s veto, including on some issues where voters are deeply divided, such as allowing adults to carry concealed handguns without a permit.
The override effort comes at a moment when Democrats in North Carolina and elsewhere are searching for a path forward after a loss of power in Washington. Though the state’s electorate is fairly split, Republicans have largely dominated the legislature over the past decade and increased the party’s seats in Congress by gerrymandering.
The state’s Supreme Court, also dominated by conservatives, has upheld the skewed district maps giving Republicans a near lock on the General Assembly. Breaking the party’s supermajority put a dent in the Republican armor, but has done little to force compromise.
Government divided at the state level is increasingly rare nationwide, making the showdown over vetoes this week highly unusual. In 38 states, one party now has control of both houses of the legislature and the governor’s mansion, a political stranglehold known as a “trifecta.”
Even without that, Republicans in North Carolina have become accustomed to winning. Representative Destin Hall, the Republican speaker of the State House, exuded confidence before voting started on Tuesday in a post on social media: “Happy Veto Override Day to all who celebrate.”
Mr. Stein cast himself as a moderate Democrat while campaigning last year against his firebrand opponent, Mark Robinson. He has tried to extend an olive branch to Republican leadership, including saying that he would support the party’s House budget proposal.
Conservative lawmakers have described their relationship with the governor as respectful, if not warm. But Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., said the “honeymoon seems to have come to an end.”
Perhaps the bigger concern for Mr. Stein and other Democratic leaders lies within their own party, which was unable to prevent defectors from voting with Republicans on some bills. “Breaking the supermajority is only helpful if the minority can keep their caucus united,” Dr. Cooper said.
Among the bills that became law over the governor’s veto were a measure allowing employees at private schools to carry concealed weapons, letting parents pull their children out of lessons they think violate their religious beliefs, and a broad energy bill eliminating efforts to combat climate change.
Another new law includes measures related to gender and identity in medical malpractice lawsuits and education that opponents say discriminate against transgender people.
The remaining bills that Republicans could attempt to override on Wednesday might prove more challenging. Besides concealed carry, those measure include an immigration bill that no Democrat supported in the House earlier this year, which would require more cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents.
Three bills other bills vetoed by the governor would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs and policies in public schools, universities and state agencies.
Eduardo Medina is a Times reporter covering the South. An Alabama native, he is now based in Durham, N.C.
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