Outrage as North Carolina Democrat switches to GOP
North Carolina State Rep. Tricia Cotham formally announced Wednesday that she is switching from the Democratic Party to the GOP, handing Republicans a veto-proof majority in the House and potentially imperiling Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s ability to block right-wing attacks on reproductive freedom and voting rights.
Cotham’s move, which was enthusiastically welcomed by the North Carolina GOP, led top Democrats in the state to call for her immediate resignation.
“This is deceit of the highest order,” North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton and Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Jane Whitley said in a joint statement. “Rep. Cotham’s decision is a betrayal to the people of [House District 112] with repercussions not only for the people of her district, but for the entire state of North Carolina.”
“If she can no longer represent the values her constituents trusted her to champion,” Clayton and Whitley added, “she should resign immediately.”
North Carolina House Democratic Leader Robert Reives also demanded Cotham’s resignation, saying she is “not the person that was presented to the voters of House District 112.”
Cotham, who prior to her current term served in the North Carolina House as a Democrat for a decade, said during a Wednesday press conference at the state GOP’s headquarters that her decision to cross the aisle was spurred by what she characterized as mistreatment from Democratic lawmakers.
“They have pushed me out,” Cotham said. “They’ve made it very clear they do not want me.”
As The Washington Post noted Wednesday, Cotham was among several North Carolina Democrats who missed a vote last week on whether to override Cooper’s veto of a bill ending permit requirements for handguns.
The absences allowed the House to override the governor’s veto. The Senate, which already had a veto-proof majority, also voted in favor of the override.
“Cotham at the time said she was against the repeal but had to miss the vote for a medical appointment,” the Post reported. “Nonetheless, she drew blowback from fellow Democrats.”
Heather Williams, interim president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), accused Cotham of “pulling a bait and switch on her constituents—who voted overwhelmingly for a Democrat to represent them in the House.”
Originally published at Commondreams.org.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
