North Carolina State Rep. Tricia Cotham formally announced Wednesday that she is switching from the Democratic Party to the GOP, handing Republicans a veto-proof majority in the House and potentially imperiling Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's ability to block right-wing attacks on reproductive freedom and voting rights.
Cotham's move, which was enthusiastically welcomed by the North Carolina GOP, led top Democrats in the state to call for her immediate resignation.
"This is deceit of the highest order," North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton and Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Jane Whitley said in a joint statement. "Rep. Cotham's decision is a betrayal to the people of [House District 112] with repercussions not only for the people of her district, but for the entire state of North Carolina."
"If she can no longer represent the values her constituents trusted her to champion," Clayton and Whitley added, "she should resign immediately."
North Carolina House Democratic Leader Robert Reives also demanded Cotham's resignation, saying she is "not the person that was presented to the voters of House District 112."
Cotham, who prior to her current term served in the North Carolina House as a Democrat for a decade, said during a Wednesday press conference at the state GOP's headquarters that her decision to cross the aisle was spurred by what she characterized as mistreatment from Democratic lawmakers.
"They have pushed me out," Cotham said. "They've made it very clear they do not want me."
As The Washington Post noted Wednesday, Cotham was among several North Carolina Democrats who missed a vote last week on whether to override Cooper's veto of a bill ending permit requirements for handguns.
The absences allowed the House to override the governor's veto. The Senate, which already had a veto-proof majority, also voted in favor of the override.
"Cotham at the time said she was against the repeal but had to miss the vote for a medical appointment," the Post reported. "Nonetheless, she drew blowback from fellow Democrats."
During her press conference on Wednesday, Cotham was evasive when asked whether she will toe the GOP line on abortion and other key issues now that she has switched parties.
"I am still the same person, and I am going to do what I believe is right and follow my conscience," Cotham said.
Cotham, who represents a district that President Joe Biden won by 20 points, has been a vocal supporter of abortion rights throughout her legislative career. In a 2015 speech on the floor of the North Carolina House, the then-Democrat spoke about her own abortion and slammed the GOP for "playing with women's lives" by attacking reproductive rights.
In the 2022 election, Cotham ran on a left-leaning platform that included a $15-an-hour minimum wage, Medicaid expansion, affordable housing, and support for LBGTQ+ rights.
Heather Williams, interim president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), accused Cotham of "pulling a bait and switch on her constituents—who voted overwhelmingly for a Democrat to represent them in the House."
"Handing Republicans the ability to override Governor Cooper's veto will endanger abortion access, voting rights, and other fundamental freedoms in the state," said Williams. "Voters in North Carolina did not elect a GOP House supermajority and Rep. Cotham is placing politics over their interests."
Cooper, who won reelection in 2020 and has used his veto authority against Republican legislation dozens of times, said Wednesday that Cotham's decision to switch parties is "disappointing."
"Representative Cotham's votes on women's reproductive freedom, election laws, LGBTQ rights, and strong public schools will determine the direction of the state we love," said Cooper. "It's hard to believe she would abandon these long-held principles, and she should still vote the way she has always said she would vote when these issues arise, regardless of party affiliation."
