North Carolina Democrat Flips Parties, Gives Republicans Supermajority in State House

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Image copyright: Associated Press [via CNN]

The Facts

  • On Wednesday, North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham announced she was switching parties, thereby giving Republicans enough votes to override any veto from Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

  • This move comes as a surprise to several lawmakers as she had served the party for over a decade in a blue district, representing Charlotte, the state's biggest city. North Carolina Democrats denounced her move, urging her to resign from office.

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The Spin

Democratic narrative

Cotham should be representing the people of her district, yet she is exclusively focused on protecting her political future. Her decision to switch parties is traitorous and indicates she lacks the dignity of character and moral convictions. In addition, her claims against the Democratic Party make her a hypocrite, who has turned a blind eye to the flaws and cruel mainstream GOP agenda.

PoliticsNC

Republican narrative

Despite being a lifelong Democrat representing a reliably blue district, Cotham has outright decided to switch allegiance to the Republicans. This is not the decision of someone playing politics, but rather a mounting trend among moderate Democrats who have been trashed as the woke echo chamber continues to take over the party.

Red State

Metaculus Prediction