Last night, the Republican Party lost the supermajority in both branches of the North Carolina General Assembly, now giving North Carolina Democrats a power they have not seen in 10 years.

Before Tuesday, Republicans held three-fifths of seats in both chambers of the General Assembly. The party lost that power after several close elections across the state.

Without the supermajority in the NC Senate and House of Representatives, Republicans no longer have the power to override a veto from the North Carolina Governor. However, the party still has more people sitting in the General Assembly than the Democratic Party. 

Since Gov. Roy Cooper took office in January 2017, he has vetoed 25 bills. Twenty of those bills have been overridden with a three-fifths majority in both the House and Senate.

For example, the General Assembly was able to override Cooper’s veto on the 2018-19 $23.9 billion budget passed in June. 

This loss will determine how the parties will work to pass party legislation, and Cooper’s vetoes are more likely to be retained because Republicans do not have the supermajority. It also gives Cooper the opportunity to push his agenda for reform in public education, healthcare policy and blocking tax breaks for the wealthy, according to The News & Observer.

According to WRAL, the party lost some key seats in Mecklenburg County and Wake County. Republican representatives in Wake County Nelson Dollar, Chris Malone and John Adcock all lost their seats to Democratic candidates, a trend that was seen in suburban locations in North Carolina.

WRAL also reported that voter turnout was its highest since 1990, with over 52 percent of registered voters participating in the midterm election.