Last week, legislators within the North Carolina General Assembly overrode a few bills that were previously vetoed by Governor Cooper.  Next week, you will be writing about the veto overrides, but for this week, we will be looking at how the Republican Party gained a supermajority in the legislature.  Having a super majority means that one party has enough members to override a veto by the Governor.  Essentially, they can pass whatever kind of policy they want to without being stopped. 

A few weeks ago, North Carolina was heavily discussed in the state and national media.  A member of the House of Representatives, who originally campaigned as a Democrat, made the decision to switch her party affiliation to Republican.  When Representative Tricia Cotham switched parties, this gave the Republican Party a supermajority in the House chamber. 

This caused a significant amount of chaos within the legislature, the Democratic Party, and among the constituents that elected her.  Many constituents and people within state leadership have called for Rep. Cotham to resign; especially given her recent vote to override the Governor’s opposition to the Republican-led abortion bill.

For this assignment, you must read the articles below and fully respond to the questions below.  Also, be sure to listen to the associated video from WXII News. This paper should be composed in Times New Roman size 12 font and include the proper header in your paper (your name, the course, the assignment, and the date).  Please be sure to proofread your work before you submit and fully express your thoughts on each question.  I expect at least seven sentences per paragraph.

Question 1:  Provide an overview of the situation.  What does it mean now that the Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly?  Also, based on the articles and videos, discuss in detail why you believe Rep. Cotham switched parties.

Question 2:  Now that Rep. Cotham has switched parties, do you believe she should still vote along with the Democrats, should she align with Republicans on all votes, or vote in the best interest of her constituents?

Question 3:  Do you believe that Rep. Cotham should have immediately resigned?  Lastly, how do you believe this will impact her upcoming election in 2024?

Articles

My Fox 8 – Rep. Cotham Switches Parties

WRAL – Cotham Votes for Override

AXIOS – NC Dem. Changes Parties

ABC11 – Cotham Avoids Policy Specifics  

Associated Press – Cotham Formally Switches Parties

WXII Videos – Tricia Cotham GOP Press Conference

Jezebel Press – Former Staffers speak out on Cotham Betrayal

Part 2 

This chapter showed how the Constitution earned the title “Supreme Law of the Land” and became one of our nation’s most important documents.  Page 46 of the textbook discusses the principles that the Constitution made possible.  For this discussion board, you must pick which principle you believe is the most important, define what that principle does/means, and provide three reasons why you believe this principle is the most important.