Following his decisive victory in North Carolina’s gubernatorial race, Democrat Josh Stein’s win was immediately met with a calculated power grab by the Republican-led legislature. Just two weeks post-election, lawmakers introduced a sweeping 131-page bill stripping control over the highway patrol, utilities, and most critically, appointments to the election board responsible for voting rules. This move consolidates GOP influence over elections, schools, environment, and other state agencies, marking one of the most expansive power shifts in recent U.S. history. While the federal government under Trump sought a “unitary executive,” North Carolina’s legislature is wielding its power to undermine the elected governor’s authority—highlighting a sharp partisan and structural divide in American governance. Can democratic norms withstand such aggressive state-level power plays? More here: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/inside-the-north-carolina-gops-decade-long-push-to-seize-power-from-the-states-democratic-governors #SeparationOfPowers #ElectionIntegrity #StatePolitics #DemocracyUnderAttack