Historians will know 2019 as a year in which not a lot happened in the North Carolina legislature. Lawmakers did not pass a new state budget, despite holding the second-longest legislative session in state history. Gov. Roy Cooper was not able to expand Medicaid in the state, and the legislature did not pass any large social policies.
There were not a lot of real significant negotiations that took place this year between leading Republican lawmakers and the Democratic governor. Compromise remains an elusive — if not dirty — word on some of the big stuff around here. - Jeff Tiberii
However, there were some big political shake-ups. This year the courts ruled that North Carolina had to redraw both its Congressional and legislative districts due to unconstitutional gerrymandering. Because of the redistricting, two Congressional seats will be up for grabs in November. One of them used to belong to Rep. Mark Walker who sayshe will no longer run in the redrawn district. On Thursday morning, Rep. Mark Meadows from Western North Carolina also announced that he will not be running again in 2020.
Host Frank Stasio talks to WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff Tiberii about his analysis of the year’s political headlines. They talk about the impact of a somewhat divided state government and the role of redistricting. Tiberii also looks back at the decade and shares what he is looking out for in the political world in 2020, including North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race and the gubernatorial election.