RALEIGH In quick order and with little debate, the state Senate overrode all six vetoes of its bills on Wednesday, sending Gov. Bev Perdue a clear - if not necessarily effective - message.

Although the Republican-controlled Senate flexed its muscles, successful overrides aren't guaranteed in the House and so might amount to no more than an opportunity to make a political statement. After the votes, Phil Berger, Senate president pro tem, told reporters that many of the bills were meant to help the economy.

"We've heard a chorus of 'Where's the jobs legislation? Where's the jobs legislation?' " Berger said. "We passed jobs legislation and then the governor vetoes a number of them. ... I think that's a strong message."

Yet it wasn't all party politics. Several of the overrides passed with Democratic support, reflecting a difference of opinion among Democrats over the governor's rationale for some of her vetoes.

The bills kept alive for another day by Wednesday's overrides dealt with medical malpractice, regulatory reform, energy exploration, dues deductions for teachers, Medicaid and the Employment Security Commission.

"We're going to be making history today," Sen. David Rouzer, a Republican representing Johnston and Wayne counties, predicted at a morning rally on Halifax Mall in support of the overrides. Rouzer predicted another unanimous Senate vote on the regulatory reform bill.

He was right on both counts. The bill, SB781, passed unanimously after just a few minutes of discussion. Then the Senate breezed through the rest of the overrides in less than an hour. But the governor had given lawmakers plenty of material to work with: a record 15 vetoes of bills from this past session.

After Wednesday's votes, Perdue issued this statement: "The Senate today made the wrong choices for North Carolina - six times over," she said. "I remain hopeful that the House will take up these issues and make better choices."

The six votes represented all the Senate bills that the governor vetoed. The House is considering taking up some of its bills that were vetoed, in addition to voting on the overrides passed along by the Senate. But that won't happen until the week of July 25, when the House will also vote on redistricting maps. One override the House is certain to take up is the voter identification bill.

But on key bills, the House doesn't necessarily have the three-fifths votes it needs to override. Berger acknowledged that he has talked to House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Cornelius, about the prospect for success, and knows Republicans might not have the votes to prevail in some cases.

"I have some concerns on the House side that politics may get in the way," he said.

Perdue had suggested that some of the bills just needed tweaking for her to sign them.

And earlier Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt of Buncombe County said it would be possible to craft a new version of the medical malpractice bill this month, for example.

Perdue had objected to the $500,000 cap on non-economic damages, saying the most severely injured patients - those suffering disfigurement, loss of a limb or even death - should not have a limit on how much a jury can award them.

Nesbitt said that provision and a last-minute change in the bill that created a liability loophole covering any medical emergency anywhere in a hospital - rather than just in emergency rooms - was also a sticking point with some Senate Democrats. He said his caucus could support a bill without the cap or the loophole.

But Berger said that bills that both chambers can't override most likely would not be re-tooled and voted on during this short session.