North Carolina gov. who endured power grab fundraises for Whitmer

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who knows a little bit about legislative power grabs, sent out a fundraising pitch this week for his fellow Democrat, Michigan Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer.

After Cooper won election in November 2016, the GOP-controlled Legislature called a special session. As North Carolina Policy Watch reported, Republicans quickly moved to claw back the new governor’s powers. And the GOP isn’t stopping during this Lame Duck, as the Advance noted last week. They’re teeing up a last-minute rewrite of “two power-grabbing constitutional amendments” recently struck down by judges.

In Michigan, Republicans have moved on House Bill 6553, sponsored by Rep. Rob VerHeulen (R-Walker), which takes aim at the power of Whitmer and Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel, who’s also a Democrat, by allowing the Michigan Legislature to “intervene” in any state legal case. Next year, both the House and Senate will remain in GOP control, although by smaller margins.

Here’s part of Cooper’s fundraising email:

Two years ago, after I was elected Governor but before I was sworn in, Republicans in the legislature went on an unprecedented power grab spree in a lame-duck special session.

Now the same is happening in Michigan — and I know more than anyone how quickly these bills can be passed.

This is a deliberate attempt by Republican legislators to override the will of the people. I’ve seen this happen before, and in order to stop it from happening again, we need to work together. Only with support from friends like you was I able to fight back and win against this affront to democracy. Gretchen needs you now.