RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — On Tuesday, the House Republicans of North Carolina implemented a succession plan that they had decided upon a year earlier, selecting the chairman of the chamber’s rules committee to succeed Rep. Tim Moore, who has served as speaker for ten years.
During a private meeting in Raleigh, Republicans who just won House elections selected Rep. Destin Hall of Caldwell County to serve as the House’s president when the next two-year term begins in early January. According to Hall, he had no rival candidates on Tuesday.
In order to maintain majority control of the House and seemingly guarantee Hall’s election by the entire House when the next General Assembly session meets, Republicans are predicted to hold 71 of the 120 seats in the chamber. Since 2011, Republicans have held control of the General Assembly in succession.
At a press conference, Hall stated, “I want to thank my caucus members for the tremendous support that they have given me over the past couple of years and then again today.” He also added that the message that our caucus is sending out today is one of togetherness.
However, Republicans would lose the veto-proof majority they had in the General Assembly over the last two years if GOP membership in the House remained at 71 following recounts. This would make it more difficult for Hall to push right-leaning legislation past the vetoes of Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Stein.
Moore was elected to Congress this month, and Hall, 37, would take over. Moore had stated that his record fifth two-year stint as chamber leader would be his final one even prior to declaring a congressional run last year. Following that announcement, a shadow campaign was launched, with Hall and Wayne County Majority Leader John Bell emerging as the front-runners.
Key House Republican leaders stated in October 2023 that they supported a proposal wherein Hall would be the caucus’s nominee for speaker and, should he be elected, would choose Bell to be the next head of the rules committee. On Tuesday, Hall reaffirmed his intention to select Bell for that position.
A vacancy for the majority leader post, which only needs the support of the House Republican Caucus, was created under that scheme. On Tuesday, the caucus selected Columbus County Representative Brenden Jones, the current Deputy Majority Leader, over Mark Pless of Haywood County.
Rep. Mitchell Setzer of Catawba County was selected by House Republicans as their candidate for speaker pro tempore, defeating Sarah Stevens of Surry County, who is now in office. Since 2017, Stevens has served as the chamber’s pro tem and the second elected position. Leading debate in the speaker’s absence is one of the main duties of the position.
Granite Falls attorney Hall was elected to the House for the first time in 2016. He managed the passage of legislation in the chamber as the single chair of the rules committee a few months after becoming its co-chair in 2020.
Since 2019, Hall has assisted in shepherding electoral district plans through his chamber as the head of the House Redistricting Committee. Additionally, he passed a law this week that would require sheriffs to work with federal immigration officers to find illegal immigrants who have been arrested in county prisons.
Jones, who owns a funeral parlor, was just elected to his fifth term in the House.
Senate Republicans will also select a leadership team, and it is highly likely that Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger will be nominated to serve as the chamber’s leader for an additional two years.
Since Republicans gained over the General Assembly in 2011, Berger, a resident of Rockingham County, has served in the position. In comparison to his predecessor, the late Senator Marc Basnight, Berger is currently serving his seventh term as pro tem second in state history.
Republicans secured the 30 Senate seats they need to maintain a chamber supermajority this month.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
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