North Carolina governor Roy Cooper vetoed a bill last week dealing with care for babies born after attempted abortions. His decision sets up the first showdown in Raleigh over veto overrides since the governor's fellow Democrats gained more seats in the General Assembly in last fall's election, ending the ability of majority Republicans to override Cooper vetoes through party line votes.
Whether that happens in this case is yet to be seen according to Western Carolina University political science professor Dr. Chris Cooper. He notes eight representatives and three senators missed the initial votes in each respective chamber. In addition, four Democrats in the House and two in the Senate broke with their party and voted for the bill. Chris Cooper also says the fact this bill went through the General Assembly so quickly to the governor's desk is a signal to voters in 2020. Abortion he says is an issue very well-defined in party politics, with Republicans generally being pro-life and Democrats pro-choice, and the battle over this bill just brings that up again to the forefront of voters minds. 2020 will be a very busy and high-pitched year in North Carolina politics, as Governor Roy Cooper is up for re-election, and all seats in the General Assembly will be on the ballot as well.
Chris Cooper sat down with BPR's Matt Bush to discuss the 'born alive' bill and the partisan back-and-forth on it, as well as Democrats chances in securing victories in North Carolina. That includes in the presidential race, where Democrats have a dearth of candidates hailing from the southeast U.S.
