Photo credit: El Pueblo

Raleigh. The North Carolina General Assembly kicked off the 2025-26 legislative session with a new configuration where the Republican Party maintains control of both chambers, but no longer a supermajority in the House of Representatives.

After the November 5 elections, Republicans were left with 71 members in the House, one less than the three-fifths required to maintain the supermajority and the power to override the governor’s vetoes without opposition. Democrats won one more seat and were left with 49 representatives.

In the Senate, the election results left the same makeup as the previous cycle, with a supermajority of 30 Republican senators and 20 Democratic senators.

The new makeup of the General Assembly means Republicans would have to have the support of at least one Democratic lawmaker in the House of Representatives to be able to override the vetoes of new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.

In the 2023-24 session, when Republicans held the supermajority in both chambers, the Legislature overrode then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s 29 vetoes. 

In other words, 29 bills were signed into law despite the governor’s opposition, including the controversial HB10 bill that requires all sheriffs in the state to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

NEW LEADERSHIP
The House of Representatives also has new leadership. 

Republican Rep. Destin Hall (87th District) is the new speaker of the House, replacing Tim Moore, who was elected to represent North Carolina’s 14th District in the U.S. Congress.

In the Senate, longtime Republican Senator Phil Berger (District 26), who has held the position since 2011, remains as president pro-tempore.

NEW FACES AND 2 LATINO LAWMAKERS
In addition, the legislative session began with 17 new representatives (9 Democrats and 8 Republicans) and 5 new senators (4 Democrats and 1 Republican).

Another novelty of this new legislative session is the presence of two Latino legislators, Republican Brian Echeverria (82nd District, Cabarrus County) and Democrat Jordan Lopez (112th District, Mecklenburg county).