Governor Pat McCrory says he's pleased with last night's Republican victories in both statewide and Congressional elections, although he told WUNC earlier today that some of those victories were unexpected, especially on the state level.
"I was very surprised, frankly, based upon our surveys and others, that we didn't lose any seats in the Senate- in fact, we gained one, and we lost very few seats in the House," said McCrory.
"Also, we did pretty good in the Supreme Court, where we got the chief justice of the Supreme Court. And of course Thom Tillis's victory is, from a personal standpoint -- he's been a good friend of mine -- and I think he's going to be a good U.S. Senator."
McCrory says he's looking forward to working with Senator-elect Tillis on various projects that might require federal involvement. That includes a 25-year transportation and infrastructure plan that encompasses everything from improving roads to looking at mass transit options.
However, McCrory said last night's Republican victories shouldn't be a time for the party to rest on its laurels. He says now the party needs to focus on leadership and problem solving, and work to overcome political divisions in the state.
