The Caucus: Get Out

Get Out

In the faraway land of Raleigh, a group of 170 men and women from Murphy to Manteo wrapped up the annual tribulation known as The Long Session.

When the Berger King and Keeper of the Hall banged their gavels, it was time to leave. 

Overstaying their welcome, basement-dwelling reporters observed unusual sightings. They saw ghosts peering through the hallways, cobwebs forming in offices, and chains of a locked Snack Bar rattling. 

One by one, the reporters left their posts, calling it a day. As the final reporter began to exit, he heard a rattling in the cafeteria.

“Come back to the table,” a voice whispered.

“Is someone there?” the reporter asked.

“Come back to the table,” it repeated. 

The reporter peaked into the cafeteria. And suddenly, out of nowhere, a towering figure banged on the glass windows.

“Come back to the table!”

“It’s the budget ghost!” the reporter screamed.

The reporter made a daring escape and returned home to report on what he’d just seen, but nobody believed him. He tried calling the lawmakers for comment, but nobody picked up.

Legend has it the 170 lawmakers disappeared, never to be seen in Raleigh again that year. 

But even now, as trick-or-treaters descend upon downtown Raleigh, the Budget Ghost towers over the city in hopes it will one day be fed.

Happy Halloween!

— Bryan Anderson

Thanks for reading The Caucus, a politics newsletter anchored by Bryan Anderson. Reach us with tips or ideas at politics@theassemblync.com.

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Somebody’s Watching Me

Speaking of lawmaker attendance, that’s where we really begin today’s edition of The Caucus.

At the end of a session, I often dive into the data to see how members voted and which ones showed up to work. Here’s what you should know:

Lawmaker Attendance

Eleven lawmakers haven’t missed a single vote since the start of the legislative session:

• Republican Sen. Ted Alexander of Cleveland County
• Republican Sen. Mark Hollo of Catawba County
• Republican Sen. Steve Jarvis of Davidson County
• Democratic Rep. Eric Ager of Buncombe County
• Democratic Rep. Cynthia Ball of Wake County
• Democratic Rep. Becky Carney of Mecklenburg County
• Republican Rep. Brian Echevarria of Cabarrus County
• Democratic Rep. Frances Jackson of Cumberland County 
• Democratic Rep. Abe Jones of Wake County
• Democratic Rep. Tim Longest of Wake County
• Republican Rep. Bill Ward of Pasquotank County

Who missed the most votes?

On the House side, Republican Rep. John Sauls of Lee County missed 58 percent of possible votes, while Democratic Rep. Aisha Dew of Mecklenburg County missed 39 percent of votes, according to data compiled by the state legislature. Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County, who has grappled with lingering health issues, missed 30 percent of votes, followed by Democratic Rep. Amber Baker of Forsyth County at 29 percent. House Speaker Destin Hall and Majority Leader Brenden Jones each missed 28 percent of possible votes. This is partly because top party leaders often hold meetings during votes with colleagues, lead bill negotiators, or lobbyists outside the chamber to strike last-minute deals on key policy priorities.

On the Senate side, Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes of Nash County missed just north of 50 percent of possible votes (her husband died earlier this year). Sen. DeAndrea Salvador of Mecklenburg County missed more than 31 percent of votes. Sen. Bobby Hanig of Currituck County missed 24 percent of votes, including some to protest an effort by his caucus to push a bill that would’ve banned shrimp trawling. (Reminder: The House killed the bill amid protests).

Party Loyalty

With few exceptions, Republicans in both chambers were nearly perfectly unified. Reps. John Blust of Guilford County and Keith Kidwell of Beaufort County broke with their party a mere 3 percent of the time, followed by House Speaker Pro Tem Mitchell Setzer at 2.25 percent. 

Hanig, who isn’t seeking reelection and is instead running for Congress in the 1st District, was the biggest defector within the Senate Republican caucus, with the shrimping issue being the most public dust-up. Even so, he voted against the GOP majority in less than 4 percent of cases.

He was followed by Sen. Norman Sanderson of Pamlico County and Bob Brinson of Craven County with a defection rate just north of 2 percent. 

All remaining 96 Republicans across both chambers voted with the GOP majority at least 98 percent of the time. 

State legislative data don’t break out how often Democrats broke with their party. Many votes were noncontroversial and attracted support from both parties. Even the Democrats who broke with Republicans the most nonetheless sided with the majority more than half of the time.

Sen. Dan Blue of Wake County was the most conservative-voting Democrat in his chamber, siding with the GOP on 69 percent of votes. That’s compared with Sen. Sydney Batch of Wake County, Blue’s successor as minority leader, who voted with the majority 62 percent of the time.

Blue was followed by Sen. Paul Lowe of Forsyth County at 68 percent. And in what may come as a surprise to many: Sen. Terence Everitt was the next most bipartisan member by joining the GOP majority in 65 percent of votes. (Everitt had the slimmest victory of any legislative candidate last year, winning by 0.11 percentage points, but is widely known for his brash criticisms of Republicans, which contributed to GOP leaders drawing him out of his former state House district.)

Sens. Salvador, Natalie Murdock of Durham County, Val Applewhite of Cumberland County, and Lisa Grafstein of Wake County were the most liberal members of the caucus, all of whom sided with the GOP less than 60 percent of the time.

To the surprise of nobody in the General Assembly, Democratic Reps. Pricey Harrison of Guilford County, Deb Butler of New Hanover County, and Marcia Morey of Durham County were the most liberal House members. Harrison joined Republicans in 52 percent of votes; Butler at 57 percent; and Morey at 58 percent.

Rep. Carla Cunningham of Mecklenburg County was the most conservative Democrat in Raleigh this year, joining Republicans in more than 84 percent of votes. She most notably broke with her party over an immigration bill aimed at getting her county sheriff to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rep. Shelly Willingham of Edgecombe County crossed party lines more than 83 percent of the time.

They were followed by Reps. Charles Smith of Cumberland County at 78 percent, Garland Pierce of Scotland County at 77 percent, and Cecil Brockman of Guilford County at 76 percent.

— Bryan Anderson

Correction: A previous version of this item misspelled state Sen. Bob Brinson’s last name.

The Dons

When Rep. Don Davis runs for reelection in 2026, it will be his third bid for Congress—and the third congressional map he’s had to contend with.

Still, the House Democrat says he will rebuke Republicans’ redistricting push once again.

“People across the country are watching what North Carolina has done, but it’s only for one part of the state, just the east. Leave us alone. We’re resilient. We’ll figure it out. We’re okay electing Donald Trump and Don Davis. We’re okay with that,” Davis told NOTUS.

— Christa Dutton

Will SNAP Snap Back?

A bipartisan coalition of state officials, including North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, sued the Department of Agriculture on Tuesday to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program partially funded through November.

Jackson said at a press conference that the administration is letting SNAP run out of money when it could tap emergency funds for the program colloquially known as food stamps, our NOTUS partners report. “This is wrong, and it’s against the law,” Jackson said. “If Congress gives a department money to fund a program, that department cannot refuse to fund that program.”

— Raymond Fernández

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Upcoming Birthdays: Reps. Allen Buansi and Brian Turner on Sunday, Nov. 2; Rep. Cynthia Ball on Monday, Nov. 3. 

Let us know what’s on your radar at politics@theassemblync.com.