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Daughtry gets GOP nomination
Barry Smith
Star Raleigh Bureau
GREENSBORO — Republican House members, buoyed by their success at the ballot box nearly two weeks ago, on Sunday selected Rep. Leo Daughtry as their nominee for speaker of the state House.
“It’s a long time ’til the 29th of January,” said Daughtry, R-Johnston, referring to opening day of the 2003 General Assembly session, when the new House speaker will be elected.
The speaker of the House controls the flow of legislation and makes committee assignments.
GOP senators also selected their leaders and suggested that they would be working with a half dozen or so Democrats to effect a leadership change in that chamber.
Two Republicans said that the race for speaker is far from over. Rep. Connie Wilson, R-Mecklenburg, who also sought the speaker’s nomination, said that she didn’t believe Daughtry could pull enough Republicans together to win the speaker’s post.
Rep. Richard Morgan, R-Moore, who said he would be a candidate for speaker, said Daughtry couldn’t pull it off. He said that Daughtry had problems that would keep him from getting the post.
“For starters, he’s too close to the video poker industry for my liking,” Morgan said.
Daughtry and his law firm have represented the amusements industry in court.
He received 36 votes. Wilson received 20, and Rep. Cary Allred, R-Alamance, who said he nominated himself, received two. There were also two write-in votes.
“We are excited about being in the majority,” he said. “We’re confident we can do this.”
Daughtry has been the House majority leader, minority leader and an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 2000.
Republicans also nominated Rep. Joni Bowie, R-Guilford, for speaker pro-tem. They elected Rep. Joe Kiser, R-Lincoln, as majority leader and Rep. Trudi Walend, R-Transylvania, as majority whip.
Kiser said he looked forward to uniting the House GOP caucus.
“I told them in there that I wouldn’t use pressure, I’d use persuasion — that’s my style,” said Kiser, a former sheriff and Lincoln County commissioner.
Republicans will have a slim 61-59 edge in the 2003 House. They’re mindful of the history in the state House of attempts by some members of the majority party to form power-sharing coalitions with the minority party and select a speaker who was not the nominee of the majority party.
Rep. Jean Preston, R-Carteret, said she nominated Daughtry and believes he can pull the party together.
“I really firmly believe in his leadership capability,” Preston said. “We’ve got a lot at stake … We need to stick together.”
Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry, R-Gaston, likened Sunday’s caucus to a Republican primary and said the meeting was good for the Gaston County area.
“Our majority leader is right in our back yard,” McHenry said. “I think we’ve got some good leadership.”
Republican senators re-elected Sen. Patrick Ballantine, R-New Hanover, as their minority leader.
Ballantine said that Republicans plan to make an impact on policy in the state Senate this coming session.
“Even though we’re in the minority we can help set the agenda,” Ballantine said. He said the caucus gave him authority to negotiate with Democratic senators to effect a change in leadership in the Senate. At this time, Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare, is the president pro-tem of the Senate.
“There are several of them that are discussing it,” he said. He said that between six and eight Democratic senators would like to see a change but wouldn’t say who the Democratic senators were.
They elected Sen. Jim. Forrester, R-Gaston, to the newly formed deputy minority leader’s position. Forrester has been Senate minority whip for the last two sessions.
Forrester said his job would involve helping out Ballantine in his position. “When he’s not there, I will run the caucus — kind of second in command,” he said.
GOP senators selected Sen.-elect Fern Shubert, R-Union, as their minority whip and Sen.-elect Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, as their deputy minority whip. Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, will be the caucus secretary.
Republicans got a visit from U.S. Sen.-elect Elizabeth Dole and from longtime U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C.
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