Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed more legislation than all other North Carolina governors combined. With the past three vetoes stamped over the past three weeks, Cooper’s total comes to 57 vetoes, and the session isn’t over.
The next closest was Democrat Gov. Bev Perdue, with 20 vetoes during her tenure from 2009 to 2013. Her predecessor, Mike Easley, vetoed nine bills from 2001 to 2009. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed six bills from 2013 to 2017; Democrat Jim Hunt didn’t use the veto stamp after voters granted him that power during his second term.
With his veto count headed toward 60, the likelihood Cooper will veto any legislation that doesn’t fall within his political spectrum has changed the lawmaking and political strategy for elected officials on both sides of the aisle.
“Thanks to the veto power and the lack of a supermajority, no policy has any chance of passing unless it has strong bipartisan support,” said Chris Cooper, professor of political science at Western Carolina University, and no relation to the governor.
“In practice, that means that Republicans must propose and pass policies that are palatable to the governor. Otherwise, they stand no chance of becoming law. … Democrats can rest assured that no matter what happens on the floor of the [General Assembly], most Republican bills will not become law.”