(The Center Square) – Republicans’ picks for their executive branch leadership are in, and it’ll include both the familiar and the up-and-coming.
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, leader of the chamber since the Grand Old Party won it in the 2010 midterms, will be the nominee for an eighth two-year term when senators are seated in January. Only the late Sen. Marc Basnight of Dare County, a nine-term leader, has held the post longer.
In the lower chamber, Republicans have chosen to nominate 37-year-old Rep. Destin Hall. He’s been at the helm of the powerful Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee.
Berger is from Eden in Rockingham County; Hall is from Lenoir in Caldwell County.
Hall will be succeeding Rep. Tim Moore, the House speaker for a record five terms who won election to Washington representing the 14th Congressional District.
Formal elections happen in January when the chambers are seated. Parties, however, set their nominations ahead of time. Republicans have a 30-20 majority in the Senate and 71-49 majority in the House, pending election certification on Tuesday, meaning their nominations are a virtual lock.
The two chamber leaders will be working with – or in some cases against – the state’s new governor. After two terms and eight years with Roy Cooper, Attorney General Josh Stein will be his successor. He continues a long line of Democrats in the post, including all but one for four years this century.
The Council of State, often called executive offices in other states, includes the governor; lieutenant governor; attorney general; commissioners of agriculture and insurance; the secretaries of state and labor; auditor; treasurer; and superintendent of public instruction.
Republicans did occupy six of those positions but three flipped in the election, leaving a 5-5 split. Stein remains though in a new position, and incumbents winning election included fellow Democrat Elaine Marshall, and Republicans Steve Troxler as agriculture commissioner and Mike Causey as insurance commissioner.
Newcomers elected are state Sen. Rachel Hunt, the Democratic lieutenant governor; U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, the Democratic attorney general; Luke Farley, the Republican secretary of labor; Dave Boliek, the Republican auditor; Brad Briner, the Republican treasurer; and Mo Green, the Democratic education superintendent.
