A North Carolina lawmaker announced Wednesday that he is leaving the Democratic Party and becoming a Republican, giving the GOP a veto-proof majority in the state legislature.
State Rep. Tricia Cotham, who represents a district near Charlotte, joined state House and Senate Republican leaders at North Carolina GOP headquarters for a press conference to reveal her move.
The “modern Democratic Party has become unrecognizable to me and others across the state,” Cotham said. “No one can control me.”
The turning point for Cotham, he explained, was when he was criticized for using the American flag and praying hands emoji on social media and on his cars.
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Democrats are “blasting me on Twitter calling me names, going after my family, going after my kids,” Cotham continued. “That’s wrong.” He added that a woman cursed at him in a store while he was shopping with his son.
House Minority Leader Robert Reives said Cotham should have resigned his seat because he campaigned to pursue a Democrat policy agenda in a heavily Democratic district.
“Now, several months later, Rep. Cotham is switching parties. That is not the person presented to the voters of House District 112,” Reives said in a statement. “Constituents deserve to know what values are most important to their elected representative.”
However, North Carolina Republicans quickly welcomed the newest member of their caucus.
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“This announcement continues to show that the Democratic Party is too radical for North Carolina,” state GOP leader Michael Whatley said in a statement. “The values of the Republican Party align with voters, and the people of Mecklenburg County should be proud to have her represented in Raleigh.”
US Sen. said. Thom Tillis, who previously served as the state’s House speaker, said he and Cotham shared the chamber in 2007 and called him “a no-nonsense lawmaker who is trying to make positive change for all North Carolinians.”
Cotham’s announcement has major political implications for North Carolina, a swing state where Republicans are one seat short of a supermajority in the legislature.
While North Carolina Republicans have held majorities in both the state House and Senate for years, the threat of a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper prevented them from implementing much of their agenda.
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Cotham’s decision to join the GOP gives Republicans a clear path with a veto-proof majority to push a wide range of legislation, from education reform to abortion restrictions, without having to compromise with Cooper.
Cotham said at Wednesday’s press conference that Cooper is “telling you what to do” and that the Democratic Party “bullies” those who don’t do what the party wants.