Republicans are hoping she’ll be a welcome deviation from the myriad of self-inflicted controversies her predecessors have created. From Mark Meadows to Madison Cawthorn to Edwards, mountain folks have been through a lot.

For today’s edition, we’re going to focus on the multi-day frenzy that has taken place behind the scenes, what it means for one of the most competitive congressional races in the country, and the forthcoming battle between Balkcom and Democrat Jamie Ager. Let’s get into it…

Roll Call

1. What you should know about Balkcom

2. The six bills sitting on Stein’s desk

3. Fact-checking some election claims

4. The NCGOP’s comms director is out

A New Game

A committee of Western North Carolina Republicans on Monday night tapped state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom to replace U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards on the ballot in the 11th District.

Balkcom enters one of the most competitive congressional races in the country a mere 85 days before Election Day and less than a month before ballots begin going out to voters on September 4. The last-minute campaign presents an uphill battle for Republicans trying to hold a seat that Democratic farmer and businessman Jamie Ager is looking to flip.

“It has been an incredible honor to fight for Henderson County in Raleigh, and I will take that fight to Washington and work every single day to make life more affordable for working families, improve community safety, support our farmers, and ensure we have the resources we need to continue to recover from Hurricane Helene,” Balkcom said in a statement.

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A committee of Western North Carolina Republicans on Monday night tapped state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom to replace U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards on the ballot in the 11th District.

Balkcom enters one of the most competitive congressional races in the country a mere 85 days before Election Day and less than a month before ballots begin going out to voters on September 4. The last-minute campaign presents an uphill battle for Republicans trying to hold a seat that Democratic farmer and businessman Jamie Ager is looking to flip.

Balkcom didn’t respond to a request for comment, but she laid out her vision in a social media post late Sunday.

“This race is too important to sit out,” she wrote on Facebook. “We must hold this seat, preserve our mountain values, work with President Trump’s administration to continue rebuilding Western North Carolina, and make sure Washington never forgets the people who call these mountains home.”

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What happens next? A 62-member GOP executive committee for the 11th Congressional District in Western North Carolina will select a replacement on Monday. The leading contender: state Sen. Tim Moffitt, though others haven’t ruled out seeking the nod. You can read more about the process and the potential Edwards successors here.

For today, we’re going to focus on what did and didn’t make it out of the General Assembly.

Roll Call

1. Election bills head to Gov. Josh Stein

2. “Independent journalism” funded by a super PAC

3. Hemp bill dies in the House

4. Will a reporter for the Greensboro News & Record ever get their notebook back?

5. The latest fallout from Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert P-Card usage

6. Auditor Dave Boliek’s office will become more partisan

Elections Debate

A pair of election bills cleared the House this week and are on the governor’s desk. One of the measures, House Bill 834, cleared both chambers with substantial bipartisan support. The latter bill, House Bill 958, is far more controversial.

Stein told reporters this week that he’ll veto HB958. There are three provisions he finds most troublesome.

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Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards announced early Wednesday that he’ll end his reelection bid. The decision comes less than 48 hours after the House Ethics Committee concluded there was “substantial reason to believe Representative Edwards violated House Rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces” and recommended he be censured.

Edwards said in a statement on X that he’ll serve out the remainder of his term.

“Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life,” Edwards wrote at 3:32 a.m. “Thank you for your trust, prayers, and support. God bless WNC and America.”

Under state law, an executive committee of local Republicans in the 11th Congressional District must now select a replacement for Edwards on the ballot.

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A whole lot of news came out of the event and subsequent interviews, so we’re going to dive right in.

Roll Call

1. Stein warns Republicans are trying to “steal” upcoming election

2. Fact-checking the governor’s claims about defeated bills

3. Does Cooper want Warren’s endorsement?

4. Why NC won’t have a first-in-nation primary in 2028

5. What to watch in the legislature this week

6. House panel recommends censuring Rep. Chuck Edwards

‘Steal an Election’

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A top leader is claiming the opposing party is trying to steal an election in North Carolina. And no, it’s not President Donald Trump.

At Saturday’s Democratic Party Unity Dinner, Gov. Josh Stein chastised state GOP lawmakers for passing a bill in late 2024 that stripped the governor of the ability to appoint state and county election board members. Stein said Auditor Dave Boliek, who now holds those powers, and his former election liaison, Dallas Woodhouse, pressured local election officials to curb Sunday voting and reject voting plans that included certain college campuses.

Stein also criticized a rule the State Board of Elections’ conservative majority approved last month making it easier to reject ballots cast by voters seeking an exemption from the state’s photo ID law. In previous elections, county election board members needed to vote unanimously to deny someone’s request. The new rule would enable county election board members to deny the exemption with a majority vote.

“They’re trying to make it harder for folks to vote and easier for them to throw out votes after the fact on a partisan basis,” Stein told attendees on Saturday. “But you want to know how they cannot steal an election? When we turn out in droves and kick their tails.”

Stein’s remarks were a notable escalation, since he is usually measured with his words. But they reflect a growing feud between him and Boliek.

NCSBE Executive Director Sam Hayes declined to comment on Stein’s remarks, as did Boliek.

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As a kid growing up in Texas, Brad Briner says he learned from his parents’ financial hardships. After his father lost his job, his mother picked up work at a school printing press to pay for private school for her youngest son. The experience motivated Briner to get into finance and eventually become North Carolina’s treasurer.

“I was the poor kid in the rich school, no doubt about it,” Briner said recently. “I felt that every day. I didn’t like that, but it certainly made me who I am.”

Since coming into office last year, Briner has made financial literacy a focus. So when I caught up with Briner recently, I asked for his best tips.

For those who want to start investing, already have some savings, and don’t have major debt, he recommends opening a Roth IRA retirement account so their investments grow tax-free.

Briner says a good starting point is an S&P index fund. He notes the U.S. stock market has proven historically resilient through times of economic turbulence. He sees the market in the eighth inning of the ballgame (meaning there’s still some room for it to run higher, but a pullback could be on the horizon). But how big the dip will be and when it will occur is anyone’s guess.

I also posed a series of hypotheticals to Briner. Below is a portion of that conversation:

You’re a college student. You graduate with thousands of dollars in debt. You want a home. You get your first job. How much of that income should go to clearing your debt and how much of it should go toward saving for a home?

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Cooper Nicholson hits a line drive over the left field wall to put the Tar Heels up 4-0 in their NCAA tournament opener.

“Turn around,” Brad Briner says, pointing to the press box, where he says someone will throw T-shirts into the stands.

But the shirts never come. Briner blames the NCAA’s rules in college baseball regionals, which are intended to curb the home team’s advantages but take away some of the traditions that Heels fans enjoy during the regular season. He also blasts the NCAA for capping reserved ticket prices at $15 for these games, limiting how much money the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill could take in.

For the next two hours, the Republican state treasurer’s mind wanders. He segues into a discussion of state government entities and federal policies he sees as unnecessary, including the Committee on Actuarial Valuation of Retired Employees’ Health Benefits, the Debt Affordability Advisory Committee, and tariffs the Trump administration has imposed.

“They’re economically illiterate,” Briner says of the tariffs.

As UNC extends its lead late in the game en route to an 8-0 win over VCU, the Republican treasurer can sit a bit more comfortably. His economic-driven mind, however, doesn’t come with an off switch.

“You know why [UNC’s baseball program] loses $2 million a year?” he asks, unprompted. “It’s all the sunk costs.”

A baseball field is expensive to maintain, and, unlike the Lenovo Center—the Raleigh venue that hosts concerts, NC State men’s basketball, and the Carolina Hurricanes throughout the year—Boshamer Stadium can’t be used for many purposes.

“Asset utilization underpins cost and underpins your ability to do stuff,” Briner later reflects. “I think about it a lot more than a normal person. I realize that. But it just fascinates me.”

Briner might not think like other sports fans, but he’s not taking a typical approach to his day job either. In his first year and a half as treasurer, Briner has reduced his own authority over state investment decisions and pushed the state to experiment with AI. Some of his moves have drawn praise from officials on the other side of the political aisle.

He’s also angered state workers by raising their health insurance premiums and picked fights with healthcare executives, including opposing WakeMed’s proposed merger with Charlotte-based Atrium Health. Briner says he fears the deal will raise prices for consumers; WakeMed’s CEO sniped in response that he looked forward to “educating” the treasurer.

Briner, 49, sees his bluntness as a notable shift from his predecessors.

“As I’m learning in this profession [of politics], it’s fun to share great news, but you try to not share bad news,” Briner said. “I try to take a different approach just to be candid with people because we do have to make hard decisions.”

‘People Who Make Their Money’

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The Washington Nationals had a deal too good to ignore on all-you-can seats about 15 rows behind home plate, with a Jason Derulo postgame concert included. And after three hot dogs, four chicken tenders, seven cups of sprite, popcorn, nachos, pork loin, sweet plantains, pizza, fruit, a red velvet cupcake, a cookie, a brownie, and some ice cream, I’d say I got my money’s worth. Leave it to an American to accomplish so much in four hours. So if you see me around the General Assembly looking more rotund than usual, now you know why.

One less positive food review: A Cook Out near Richmond had ridiculously small milkshakes (like the size of a water cup) served in a plastic cup that easily melted. Between that, 12% sales tax, an undisclosed 10-cent tomato tariff, and a 50-cent cheese surcharge on a burger, I feel even more grateful to not live up there. Attention Cook Out franchisees in the Tar Heel state, please don’t bring those changes down here!

If you have any milkshake recommendations, please send them my way! And if you’d like to join me in trying to convince my editor to allow me to conduct an all-expense-paid review of every Cook Out milkshake flavor, you can shoot her a note here. The Heath toffee shake has surpassed Snickers and banana fudge as my go-to flavor.

We have more substantive things to get to, so let’s dive in.

Roll Call

1. Unpacking the COVID-era inmate settlement

2. Senate taking up elections bill

3. Auditor Dave Boliek wants more political appointees

Settle This

A February 2021 settlement then-Gov. Roy Cooper reached with the ACLU of North Carolina and other advocacy groups to lower the prison population to stop the spread of COVID-19 has become a major flashpoint as Cooper runs for an open U.S. Senate seat against Michael Whatley.

Cooper’s critics allege that the settlement indiscriminately turned loose thousands of violent criminals, who then went on to commit other crimes. Cooper has repeatedly denied the charge.

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Berger’s campaign and outside groups supporting him spent more than $12.6 million trying to fend off Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page ahead of the March primary and waging a brief legal battle after Page won.

The total far outpaces the roughly $943,000 spent to elevate Page, new campaign finance reports show. And it underscores how Republicans tried to preserve the legacy of the Senate leader, who is arguably the state’s most powerful officeholder.

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Heading into the election, we reported that supporters of Senate leader Phil Berger were on track to spend more than $10 million bolstering his reelection bid against Republican challenger Sam Page. Now that the latest reports are in, the numbers came in even higher. So let’s dive into who bankrolled the race and how much they poured in.

Roll Call

1. Berger-Page race saw unprecedented spending

2. Why outside money has been slow to come in for the U.S. Senate race

3. Legislature pops hopes of balloon ban

4. Will anything happen in the General Assembly next week?

Money Bags

Berger spent a staggering sum on his unsuccessful reelection bid earlier this year.

Berger’s campaign and outside groups supporting him spent more than $12.6 million trying to fend off Page ahead of the March primary and waging a brief legal battle after Page’s narrow victory.

The total far outpaces the roughly $943,000 spent to elevate Page, new campaign finance reports show. And it underscores how Republicans tried to preserve the legacy of the Senate leader, who is arguably the state’s most powerful officeholder.

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And at the risk of getting even more hate mail, I’ll share one thing here that I told the radio host offline: I don’t see NASCAR as a sport (editor’s note: Bryan is factually wrong), and I view golf as a sport only when there’s a clown’s mouth and a windmill (editor’s note: he’s wrong again).

But you’re not here for my questionable opinions, so let’s get into the news.

Roll Call

1. Whatley called for shutting down FEMA

2. How Berger funded his election protest

3. Lawmakers want to be in the room where it happened

4. Who cares about daylight savings, and other reading

FEMA Under Fire

At a May 20 event in Brunswick County, U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley told an attendee he’d like to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to audio obtained recently by The Assembly.

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I’ll be spending the next several days combing through hundreds of pages of federal campaign finance reports. And if we’re lucky, we should hopefully see fundraising reports for state-level races trickle their way onto the State Board of Elections website.

So for today, we’re going to focus on congressional races. Let’s dive in.

Roll Call

1. Which candidates are winning the money war?

2. Reviewing the General Assembly cafeteria

3. Cary gonna Cary

Show Me the Money

There are four federal races political onlookers are most closely watching in North Carolina: the U.S. Senate race between Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley, the 1st Congressional District battle between Democratic incumbent Don Davis and GOP challenger Laurie Buckhout, the 11th District contest between Republican incumbent Chuck Edwards and Democratic challenger Jamie Ager, and the 3rd District race pitting GOP incumbent Greg Murphy against former Democratic state Rep. Raymond Smith.

Here’s where the candidates stand financially:

U.S. Senate

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I spent yesterday traveling to Graham, and no, not just to expense Hursey’s BBQ. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper was in town continuing his “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour. You can rest assured no police were called on me.

Let’s dive into what you need to know.

Roll Call

1. Does Cooper regret the COVID-era inmate settlement?

2. A congressional candidate stands by comment of U.S. approaching “civil war”

3. Whatley v. the media

Catching Up With Cooper

At the Graham event on Monday, the state’s former governor spoke for 15 minutes about his plans to tackle rising costs of living and told reporters afterward that he’d make health care access his top priority if elected.

Here are three other things to know:

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I’ll be on WUNC at noon today to recap the busy week of bill signings. And for those who want a general overview of budget toplines, you can also listen to a WFAE recap here.

The Police Benevolent Association endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley yesterday in downtown Raleigh. I wasn’t there—I haven’t gotten a heads-up about Whatley campaign events since we wrote last month about his favorite Hurricanes player. I found out about this event and RSVP’d anyway, but I wasn’t allowed to enter with other reporters. A representative of the building told me to leave and that she was calling the police. About half an hour after I went outside, officers told me I wasn’t being detained but needed to stay outside the building, which I did.

Reporters for NC Newsline also weren’t allowed in because they didn’t RSVP—they said they didn’t get a media advisory about the event either. The campaign and the police association didn’t respond to my requests for comment about what happened. I learned of another event happening today and tried to RSVP, but the campaign replied that “No one from the Assembly will be credentialed.”

In any case, The Assembly plans to keep covering this race.

We’ve got a lot more important news to discuss, so let’s jump in.

Roll Call

1. The governor signs the budget and many other bills

2. Interesting budget earmarks you should know about

3. Auditor removes Dallas Woodhouse from elections liaison role

4. Why lawmakers couldn’t get hemp regulation across the finish line

Clearing the To-Do List

Gov. Josh Stein this week signed 18 of the 19 bills on his desk into law, including the state budget. After a bill-signing ceremony on Tuesday, he told reporters that he was open to suing over specific provisions of the budget, particularly ones reducing the number of appointments he can make to 13 boards and commissions.

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Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday signed the $34 billion budget lawmakers sent him, bringing an end to a more than year-long saga after state House and Senate Republicans resolved their stalemate over several policy issues.

The budget, which passed with the support of about half of Democratic legislators, included a number of top priorities for the governor, including pay raises for teachers and law enforcement personnel, more than $1 billion to help Medicaid keep up with enrollment growth and rising health care costs, and $700 million for Hurricane Helene recovery.

“We did today move the state forward in a meaningful way,” Stein said.

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With the budget now behind them, lawmakers won’t return until the week of July 27. In the meantime, Gov. Josh Stein has several bills on his desk.

He’ll act on the budget this morning. I expect him to sign it, as he’s long advocated for a year-long overdue budget to reach his desk. While it does contain a number of things he dislikes, such as tax cuts and appointment power shifts, it addresses his top priorities of teacher pay raises, Hurricane Helene recovery money, and Medicaid funding.

If Stein did veto it, the votes would almost assuredly be there to override him since it passed with the support of about half of Democrats in both the House and Senate.

“The fact that we haven’t had a full budget in two and a half years is a real indictment,” Stein told reporters last week. “We’re the only state in the country that didn’t pass a budget last year. We haven’t passed a budget in two and a half years. I’m glad that they finally have. We’re going to review it carefully, and I look forward to talking about it more next week.”

For those who took a news break last week, we’ve got you covered with an overview of what’s in the budget and why it took so long.

But for today’s newsletter, let’s dive into some of the non-budget news you should know about.

Roll Call

1. Other bills to watch on Stein’s desk

2. Is a lawmaker on his deathbed?

3. No, state Rep. Mark Pless isn’t resigning

4. Sam Page is feuding with a different Berger

I’m Just a Bill

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Animal lovers are getting some good news by way of the state’s long-overdue budget: the North Carolina Zoo will finally have enough funding to open its Asia Continent to the public.

The provisions will add 54 full-time employees, $6.2 million in recurring funds, and a one-time $1.3 million payout for the expansion. The request, pushed by state Rep. Neal Jackson, a Moore County Republican, is a bit less than the 69 employees and $8.4 million in total spending Gov. Josh Stein had requested.

Jackson said he’s confident the zoo’s new section will be opened at the end of this year or early next year.

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State lawmakers sent Gov. Josh Stein a comprehensive budget on Thursday, ending a year-long impasse between House and Senate Republicans.

The bill cleared the General Assembly with substantial bipartisan support, including about half of Democrats in each chamber during an initial vote on Wednesday and final procedural vote on Thursday. The budget, which cleared the House 88-21 and Senate 35-10 on its last consideration, will almost certainly become law–either Stein will sign it, or allow it to become law without his signature after 10 days.

Stein said he wouldn’t act on the budget this week, as his office is still combing through the provisions. But he did voice frustrations with the process.

“The fact that we haven’t had a full budget in two and a half years is a real indictment,” Stein told reporters on Thursday. “We’re the only state in the country that didn’t pass a budget last year. We haven’t passed a budget in two and a half years. I’m glad that they finally have. We’re going to review it carefully, and I look forward to talking about it more next week.”

There are several provisions likely to appeal to the governor.

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Republican state Rep. John Sauls of Lee County has become a rare sight in Raleigh. But when he showed up to the General Assembly last week for the first time in over a month and fourth time in the past year, it gave his party the votes to override four of Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes.

The surprise appearance caught the attention of Democratic Rep. Tracy Clark, who swiftly took to Facebook to voice her frustration with the process and raise concerns about Sauls’ health.

“NC Republicans just overrode 4 of the 5 remaining vetoes,” Clark wrote. “These bills have sat on our calendar for a year now; the Speaker just waited until he had the votes. He brought in a GOP member [Sauls] on his deathbed.”

Sauls, 76, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about his health or attendance.

Clark declined to elaborate on her Facebook post. “I haven’t been told specifics nor is it my business to know,” she told The Assembly.

House Speaker Destin Hall said Clark exaggerated Sauls’ health issues.

“Obviously, he’s had some health challenges, but he is not on his deathbed,” Hall said.

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