House Speaker Thom Tillis

North Carolina Republicans have nominated a new State House Speaker to succeed U.S. Senator-elect Thom Tillis. Tim Moore is an attorney and small business owner from Kings Mountain, a small town about 30 miles west of Charlotte. He's been in the House for six terms.

The Republicans in the House of Representatives chose Moore in a closed-door meeting. They locked themselves in a conference room at Randolph Community College. Moore needed at least half the votes plus one to win, and that was exactly what he got.

Governor Pat McCrory has filed a suit against House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate Leader Phil Berger, saying he's trying to stop them from usurping executive powers.

The lawsuit, filed in Wake County Superior Court, alleges violations of the separation of powers, executive power, and appointments provisions of the state Constitution, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. Former governors Jim Hunt, a Democrat, and Jim Martin, a Republican, joined McCrory in the filing.

A little more than a decade ago, Thom Tillis was a resident of the town of Cornelius in northern Mecklenburg county. He wanted a bike trail near his house, and, despite knowing nothing about politics, he lobbied the local parks commission. Soon, he won election to it, then the town council, then the State Legislature three times, until he became speaker.

And then last night, he won a seat in the U.S. Senate.

As the midterm elections get closer, education is a prominent topic in North Carolina’s congressional races. 

The race for North Carolina's senate seat is one of the hottest and most expensive in the nation.

Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan and Republican challenger Thom Tillis met in their second debate yesterday. They exchanged sharp words on national security, healthcare and immigration.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history and provost at Catawba College, about the debate.

Democratic U.S. Senator Kay Hagan squared off with her Republican challenger, North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis in their first senatorial debate last night.

The race is essentially neck and neck with two months left before midterm elections. Tillis attempted to tie Hagan to an unpopular president, while Hagan tried to associate Tillis with an unpopular legislature. 

And with nearly $15 million in spending from outside groups, the race is already one of the most expensive in the country.

A few members of the North Carolina House of Representatives will be back in Raleigh for a skeleton session today, but no real business is expected to be conducted. Technically, they need to be there to keep the legislature in session. That’s because they couldn’t agree with their colleagues in the Senate on one of their main priorities this summer – what to do about 33 coal ash dumps around the state.

This story starts in February this year, and you might have seen it on national newscasts.

State House Republicans are teaming up with Governor Pat McCrory to help speed up slow budget talks. Legislators are supposed to make adjustments to the two-year state budget by July 1, but progress has been sluggish.

Representatives say they want to at least pass a scaled-down spending plan that focuses on teacher pay. It would give teachers an average five-percent raise without relying on funds from the lottery.