Over the past month, two state legislators—Louisiana Rep. Francis Thompson and North Carolina Rep. Tricia Cotham—left the Democratic Party to join the Republicans. Both changes gave their new parties legislature-wide veto-proof majorities in their respective states.
Veto-proof majorities exist when one party controls enough seats in a chamber to override a gubernatorial veto. When these majorities exist in both chambers, that party can effectively dictate policy without considering the governor.
There are now 29 state legislatures where one party holds veto-proof majorities in both chambers: nine for Democrats and 20 for Republicans.
