NC Capitol Wrap

With another year nearly over we ask: Who won 2023? WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and State Government Reporter Travis Fain have lots of thoughts, and now you're gonna hear about them! Plus: Another redistricting lawsuit, a candidacy challenge in Wake County and blowback on the push to keep former President Donald Trump off the ballot. We also turn our attention to 2024, predicting North Carolina's casino debate will return and that the state's child care shortage will demand attention.

The 2024 primaries are set, and several people surprised North Carolina political observers by opting not to run. Also: There's another Mark Robinson in North Carolina politics now, and this one's a Democrat. Plus: Out with the old and in with the new (again) in the UNC chancellor's office. WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Will Doran break down the week that was in state politics.

UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz is out at UNC-Chapel Hill, reopening North Carolina's long-running conversation on political meddling and fair governance in the state's university system. Plus: It's election filing season! Listen to WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain read a long list of names as candidates sign up for key races. And: Is Jesus Christ going to bring down retribution on Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's political opponents? Tune in.

North Carolina on Friday became the 40th state to expand Medicaid, opening the health insurance program to 600,000 people — many of them the working poor. It brings a multibillion-dollar infusion for the state's health care providers. Also: Gov. Roy Cooper tapped Democratic up-and-comer Jessica Holmes, a former Wake County commissioner, for state auditor's job, which opened after the current auditor decided to resign in the wake of a charge for misusing a state vehicle. WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Will Doran break down the week that was.

State Auditor Beth Wood was indicted this week, accused of using publicly owned vehicles for personal errands — a charge that grew out of the scrutiny she received after wrecking a state-owned car after a December holiday party. After Tuesday’s indictment, Wood, who at one point this year said she planned to run for reelection, announced that she'll resign instead, effective Dec. 15. Also: Democrats rolled in local elections, and new candidates have announced statewide runs ahead of next month's filing deadline. WRAL NCCapitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and State Government Reporter Travis Fain get you all caught up on The Wrap.

North Carolina lawmakers returned to the legislative building this week, maybe for the last time this year, and passed new election maps. Now we wait for the lawsuits. And speaking of lawsuits: A major one is in court next week as Gov. Roy Cooper fights to block the Republican legislative majority from taking away key state appointments. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and State Government Reporter Travis Fain break down all that and more on this week's episode of The Wrap.

The political power play that is redistricting got underway again this week. North Carolina lawmakers will likely have fully approved maps by next week. WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Will Doran break down who wins, and who loses, under the newly proposed voting districts. Plus: More lawsuits, more forever chemicals coming to North Carolina, and a child care funding cliff.

Lawmakers gathered again in Raleigh Tuesday to override Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes on five bills, taking the Republican supermajority's override record this year to 19-0. But a resolution on the conflict between Israel and Hamas that some North Carolina Democrats refused to sign dominated the discourse this week. Also: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's press conference supporting Israel forces him to address his past comments on the holocaust. And the 2024 game of musical chairs is getting underway as lawmakers work on new election maps. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain get you caught up.

The Wrap turns its attention to Washington, D.C., this week, where the U.S. House of Representatives deposed its speaker and a bow-tied, beer-brewing North Carolinian ended up with the gavel. Plus: The new state budget is law, state lawmakers gather next week for veto overrides and there's another elections lawsuit, with more sure to come. WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Will Doran break it down.

After months of closed-door talks, leaks and rumors, North Carolina has a new state budget packed with priorities backed by the legislature’s Republican majority. In the end, a long-discussed deal to legalize new casinos in the state fell apart. But stay tuned next year; that conversation is sure to return. WRAL state government reporters Travis Fain and Paul Specht walk through what’s in the budget, what’s not, some surprise bills that popped up this week — and why one lawmaker found himself in a supply closet.