NC legislature is back, and Republicans want to override all 14 of Gov. Stein’s vetoes
The dog days of summer have brought a heat wave and now, what is shaping up to be an incredibly busy week at the Legislative Building.
The biggest news, that we know so far anyway, will be the veto override votes. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein has vetoed 14 bills this year, and Republicans in the legislature hope to overturn every one of them. And that’s not all they’re up to this week.
Good Sunday morning to you and welcome to our Under the Dome newsletter focusing on the governor.
Republicans have a supermajority in the Senate, which means they can easily override a Stein veto. But in the House, Republicans are one vote short of total control, so they either need a Democrat or enough absences to turn the tide in their favor.
On Tuesday, both the Senate and House will take up veto overrides on bills about immigration, guns, regulatory reform, energy, charter schools and diversity, equity and inclusion. It could be a very long day, which begins in the Senate in the morning.
But first, on Monday the House Rules Committee will meet, and they’re taking up bills that aren’t related to veto overrides at all. Plus, Senate leader Phil Berger has already said he’ll bring another bill about tax breaks for private school vouchers. And that’s just the known knowns.
We have a lot of unknowns, too.
If the General Assembly sends more bills to Stein’s desk in the coming days, that will mean more new laws — or more vetoes from Stein, depending on what he decides to do. And if they don’t take up all 14 veto override votes, that means they either don’t have the votes to overturn it, or they’ll try again another day.
All of this state news comes as national news is dominating the recent political sphere as the U.S. Senate race shapes up with Republican Michael Whatley and Democrat Roy Cooper about to kick off their campaigns. Cooper is our most recent, two-term governor.
We can expect state lawmakers to talk about that race, and their own political futures. Candidate filing for 2026, which includes all 170 seats in the legislature, starts in December. With the legislature back in town, we could also see some lawmakers announce their own 2026 plans. Berger is already facing a primary challenge from Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
Stein goes west
With Stein’s veto power being tested soon, the governor has spent recent days in the mountains of Western North Carolina, promoting recovery there after Helene. That included donning a life jacket to raft on the Nantahala River rapids.
Stein was also in Charlotte, where he toured the Coca-Cola Consolidated facility and met those in an apprenticeship program there.
Here’s some gubernatorial trivia for you: Stein’s soda of choice is Diet Coke.
You can watch and read more coverage of Stein’s tour from my colleagues at the Charlotte Observer.
State HR director on Under the Dome podcast
Catch up on more North Carolina politics news by listening to our Under the Dome podcast, which posts every Tuesday morning. On our most recent episode, I interviewed State Human Resources Director Staci Meyer, who is a member of Stein’s cabinet. We talked about state employees hiring, retention and legislation.
And we’ll record a new episode on Monday, with our legislative team.
You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, iHeart, Pandora and Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thanks for reading. Contact me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com. Not a newsletter subscriber? Sign up on our website to receive Under the Dome in your inbox daily.
This story was originally published July 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "NC legislature is back, and Republicans want to override all 14 of Gov. Stein’s vetoes."
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