RALEIGH, N.C. — (AP) The GOP maintained a veto-proof majority in both chambers of the North Carolina Legislature in Tuesday's election, despite losses by four Republican incumbents in the House.
Unofficial results show that Democrats took four of the 77 seats held by the GOP during the last session, but Republicans won at least 73 seats to give them one more than they needed to ensure a veto-proof majority in the House.
Republicans also won at least 33 seats in the state Senate to ensure that they would have a veto-proof majority of 30 senators. Among their wins was the defeat of incumbent State Sen. Gene McLaurin, D-Richmond, by business owner Tom McInnis.
Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said preserving the GOP supermajority in the chamber was proof that the public wants the Republican reforms within state government to continue.
"We think it's a validation by the voters of the direction that we've taken North Carolina in over the past four years," Berger said. He said millions of dollars in special interest money had been spent against Republican candidates.
Following the 2010 elections, Republicans took power of both chambers for the first time in 140 years.
All 170 seats in the North Carolina General Assembly were up for re-election, but nearly 80 had winners before Tuesday because candidates were running unopposed in the general election.
Of the remaining 90 or so races, less than two dozen were considered competitive by party leaders and legislative campaign observers.
Defeated House Republicans include two-term Rep. Tom Murry, who lost his Raleigh-area seat to Democrat Gale Adcock. The two campaigns have spent more than $1.1 million combined.
Lee County Republican Rep. Mike Stone lost to Harnett County attorney Brad Salmon.
Meanwhile, Buncombe County Republicans Tim Moffitt and Nathan Ramsey lost to respective Democratic challengers Brian Turner and John Ager despite spending several hundred thousand dollars on their races.