Democrats made gains in the North Carolina General Assembly Tuesday night, breaking the super majorities held by Republicans in each chamber.

Democratic House Representative Graig Meyer was re-elected to another term on election night from his district in northern Orange County and Caswell County. He said breaking the veto-proof majorities in the state will lead to more influence from Democrats in the legislature and Governor Roy Cooper.

“The Republicans have just used their super majorities to be bullies,” Meyer said Tuesday night after winning re-election. “And now they won’t be able to do that, because we’ll have Governor Cooper’s veto and they’ll have to negotiate with us in the legislature.

“I think people in North Carolina want to see us try and work together, and they don’t want to see Republican overreach; they don’t want to see bully tactics in their legislature. They want to see us come together and solve problems.”

Meyer said this potential bipartisanship can bring new issues to the forefront of debate in the General Assembly.

“Let’s take on health care; let’s take on real education work; let’s take on rural economic development; let’s figure out how to respond to hurricanes,” Meyer said. “We’ve got real work to do, and it requires leaders to sit down at the table and figure out, really, some things that can be difficult solutions.

“And you can’t do that when one side just wants to play political games and be bullies, but they won’t be able to do that anymore.”

Meyer said that his district, in the current legislative map, provides a cross-section of different issues facing North Carolinians. He said improving education will be a major focus of his.

That education can then be used to, Meyer said, “build a foundation for jobs and try and make sure that our rural areas aren’t left behind as technology moves forward and our state continues to grow.”

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