Welcome to the debut of The Caucus, and with it, your one-way ticket to the frenetic world of North Carolina politics.
From someone who has covered this state for nearly a decade, a note of caution: be careful what you wish for. In North Carolina, a lot happens quickly. And it can feel overwhelming to keep up.
Enter The Caucus—which is definitely what we’re calling this newsletter. (Apologies to anyone who saw our marketing with another name.) With The Caucus, my goal is to help you sift through the noise and chaos of Raleigh. That means getting to the heart of what you should know to do your job, hold elected officials accountable, or impress your companions at a cocktail party or around the dinner table.
You’ll find this newsletter in your inbox on Tuesdays, when the General Assembly typically begins holding floor votes, and Fridays, to wrap things up after lawmakers leave town. (If you want real-time political news updates, my Anderson Alerts Substackwill be your best source.)
At times, the topics I explore in The Caucus will be important policy matters. In other cases, it may be quirky tidbits from the legislature and campaign trail. Let’s get into it.
—Bryan Anderson
🧑⚖️ Roll Call
Michele Morrow‘s back (maybe)
Jefferson Griffin fights on
What Paul Newton‘s resignation means
The GOP’s attempt to curb Jeff Jackson
A Q&A with state Rep.Jarrod Lowery
News from D.C.
Get Ahead of It
Former Republican school superintendent candidate Michele Morrow tells me she’s seriously considering a primary run against U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis.
Behind the scenes, she’s already assembled a group of advisers that includes GOP operative Sam Hassell. A final decision on a run hasn’t been made, but could happen in the near future.
“I am committed to doing all that I can to ensure that the best interests of the citizens of North Carolina are fully and vigorously represented—here and in Washington,” Morrow tells me.
This could be the week we get a ruling from the state Court of Appeals on Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin’s ongoing effort to overturn an apparent 734-vote loss to Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs.
When will we get a ruling? That could come tomorrow, as appeals court opinions are released on the first and third Wednesday of every month. But because this isn’t a normal case and is operating on an expedited timetable, a ruling could theoretically come any day.
So when will the disputed Supreme Court race finally end? Tough to say. Whatever the court decides will almost certainly be appealed to the state Supreme Court, where a trio of Republicans have already indicated at least some support for Griffin. From there, the dispute could get tied up in the federal court system.
On Friday, The Associated Press and I reported that Griffin was photographed wearing a Confederate uniform at a Kappa Alpha fraternity event while he studied at UNC-Chapel Hill in the early 2000s.
“At that time, like many college students, I did not fully grasp the broader historical and social implications,” Griffin said in a statement. “Since then, I have grown, learned, and dedicated myself to values that promote unity, inclusivity, and respect for all people.”
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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Filling a Void
North Carolina’s third-highest ranking senator, Republican Paul Newton of Cabarrus County, resigned last week to take a job as UNC-Chapel Hill’s new vice chancellor and general counsel.
Local party leaders get to pick his replacement in the state Senate, so at 10 a.m. Saturday, a group of Cabarrus County Republicans will hold a closed-door meeting in Concord to evaluate Newton’s potential successors. Once a replacement is chosen, Gov. Josh Stein will have seven days to submit the paperwork for the new member to be formally seated.
This is merely an administrative step for Stein, as he can’t reject the person local Republicans choose. In other words, the GOP’s Senate supermajority will remain intact.
Senate leader Phil Berger hasn’t announced who’ll assume Newton’s role as majority leader.
Last week, we saw a whopping 283 bills filed in a single day on the Senate’s bill filing deadline day. This week, the House is on the clock. Members have until 3 p.m. Thursday to file public bills and resolutions, which includes most policy changes but not things like constitutional amendments or election law updates. We usually see lots of activity around these deadlines.
What you can expect: Some political posturing on both sides of the aisle, and a few notable bills that could very well become law.
A Bill to Bench the State’s Top Cop
President Donald Trump has signed more than 100 executive orders since he took office less than three months ago. In turn, Democratic state attorneys general, including North Carolina’s Jeff Jackson, have rushed to file lawsuits challenging those actions.
But if a new bill becomes law, Jackson would no longer be able to join the fight. Senate Bill 58 would bar the AG from both filing “any action” or advancing “any argument” that “would result in the invalidation of an executive order issued by the President of the United States.”
It would be the only such limitation on a state attorney general in the country. The state Senate passed the legislation last month, and the bill is now sitting in a House committee. It is not known when the full House will take up the legislation.
The proposed law reflects a growing trend in North Carolina politics—when Republicans lose a statewide office, they seek to weaken that office before the winning Democrat takes over.
Jarrod Lowery, a Republican who represents Robeson County in the state House, is the co-sponsor of several bills in the General Assembly this term. Border Belt Independent Editor Sarah Nagem talked to him about the legislation and how Trump’s push for full federal recognition for the Lumbee tribe is going.
You are a primary sponsor on HB 224, the Strengthen Our Tribal Communities Act. What would the bill mean for North Carolina tribes, including the Lumbee, and why is it important?
The Strengthen Our Tribal Communities Act ensures all of North Carolina’s tribes—not just gaming tribes—receive support for education, cultural preservation, and economic development. Many states already share gaming revenue with non-gaming tribes, and this bill follows that proven model.
For smaller tribes, this funding means better community services and new opportunities. It also provides long-overdue support for the Indian Education Office at DPI, helping Native students statewide. This bill will help every Native community in North Carolina.
FEMA Council Confusion: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last week that the administration was planning to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Lawmakers on the FEMA review council established by Trump—including Rep. Chuck Edwards and Rep. Tim Moore—beg to differ, saying the council is recommending reforms but not abolishing the agency. Read the full story by Calen Razor here.
Go Deeper: A new poll out Thursday from Elon University finds that 43 percent of North Carolinians think FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene has been poor or very poor. But they were divided on whether to eliminate the agency entirely, with 39 percent supporting getting rid of FEMA and 36 percent opposing.
Mixed Signals: After Signalgate last week,NOTUS reporter John T. Seward asked around the Capitol about the encrypted messaging platform. After the story was published, he caught up with Sen. Thom Tillis. Here’s what he had to say: “I get Signal, I use it every day—love it. I especially like the fact that you can edit things after you send them. You know those embarrassing autocorrects,” Tillis said. “If anything I think people shouldn’t view Signal as the problem here. Signal, actually, fortunately, the end-to-end data was encrypted, so nobody who was surveilling them could have seen it. Because I believe that Signal encryption is solid.”
He later clarified, “The question is, if it was classified information, why were you not using a classified conduit to send it?
— Grace McFadden
Lawmaker Birthdays this week: Rep. Eric Ager on Wednesday, April 2; Sen. Julie Mayfield on Saturday, April 5.
What’s Next:
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Bryan Anderson is a politics reporter for The Assembly, covering state government and anchoring our twice-weekly politics newsletter, The Caucus. He previously covered elections, voting access, and state government for WRAL-TV, The Associated Press, and The News & Observer.
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