NC Democrat Tricia Cotham to Join GOP, Giving Supermajority

Democratic state representative Tricia Cotham from Mecklenburg County in North Carolina has switched to the Republican Party, citing her belief that the Democratic Party has changed in the state. This move gives State House Republicans a supermajority, allowing them to override any vetoes from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Cotham's switch has been criticized by House Democratic leader Robert Reives, who called on her to resign. Republicans have been advancing legislation this year that in previous years Cooper successfully vetoed.