Give N.C. governors a line-item veto

44 states already have it. I think it would improve N.C. politics

I recently wrote about four particularly bad vetoes from Gov. Josh Stein — bills that should’ve become law but didn’t, at least at first, because politics got in the way.

All four of those bills were swiftly overriden by the General Assembly last week in bipartisan votes, along with a handful of other important measures.

But it’s kind of telling which bills weren’t taken up. Because to be fair, not all of Stein’s vetoes were indefensible. On one of them, I actually don’t blame him at all.

House Bill 96 was supposed to give property owners a tool to remove squatters from their property — and it did. But at the last minute, lawmakers tacked on a completely unrelated clause banning local governments from regulating pet stores.

Yes, really. You’re reading a bill about property rights and due process — and then, boom: Puppy mills.

Now, maybe that’s good policy. I haven’t done a deep dive on the pet store clause, and I’m open to the argument. But what I do know is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the bill.

And because North Carolina’s governor doesn’t have a line-item veto, the whole thing goes in the trash, to our detriment.

North Carolina is one of just six states that don’t give our governor the power to strike specific provisions from a bill. Instead of a scalpel, our governor only a hammer: Either you sign the whole package, or you veto everything and brace for the political spin machine.

So lawmakers have learned to stuff everything they can into a single bill — because they know a veto makes for a good press release. And because there’s no way to cleanly separate the good from the garbage, it’s the people who lose out.

A line-item veto wouldn’t fix all of this, but it would make the games harder to play. It might even make a Republican-controlled legislature try a little harder to elect a Republican governor who could use the tool well.

Now, to be clear: Some states go too far. Wisconsin’s line-item veto is so expansive the governor can basically rewrite laws with a red pen. That’s not what I’m suggesting. I also get that a Republican-controlled General Assembly isn’t exactly itching to give a Democrat governor more power.

But frankly, I think Republicans would benefit from it long-term. A line-item veto encourages cleaner legislation, makes it harder to play games, and gives future GOP governors the tools to lead more effectively. If we want to govern like adults, we should build the structures that make that possible — no matter who’s in the Governor’s Mansion today.

North Carolina deserves better than legislative sausage-making and veto theater. Let’s give the governor a scalpel — and see what we can build.

Quick hits

• Former governor Roy Cooper launched his Senate campaign last week with a polished video and a familiar story. But the image he’s selling doesn’t match the reality. In my newspaper column, I broke down what Cooper’s record really shows. If that’s what we wants to run on, let’s take him up on it: Roy Cooper starts his Senate run with a dishonest pitch

• Of course, Cooper enters the 2026 Senate race as the clear favorite. But Republican challenger Michael Whatley’s campaign can’t just be written off. With Trump’s backing, a unified GOP, and a turnout machine already in motion, this race is closer than you might think. My second column was on why Whatley can win: Don’t count out Michael Whatley

Important reads

• Roy Cooper raises $3.4 million in first 24 hours of his Senate candidacy (Politico)

• Is Phil Berger Losing His Grip on the N.C. General Assembly? (The Assembly)

Top spenders on social media last week

Question of the week