Raleigh, N.C. — On Tuesday, North Carolina House Republicans executed a pre-established succession plan, appointing the rules committee chairman as the new candidate to succeed Rep. Tim Moore following his decade-long tenure as House speaker.
Republican members who recently emerged victorious in House elections convened privately in Raleigh, selecting Rep. Destin Hall from Caldwell County to lead the House when the upcoming two-year session begins in early January. Hall stated that he faced no competition in the selection process on Tuesday.
With Republicans projected to maintain 71 of the 120 House seats, they are set to uphold their majority control of the chamber, which will likely lead to Hall’s confirmation by the entire House when the next General Assembly reconvenes. The General Assembly has been consistently under Republican leadership since 2011.
“I want to express my gratitude to my caucus members for their overwhelming support over the past couple of years, including today,” Hall remarked in a press conference, emphasizing the sense of unity emerging from the caucus.
However, if the Republican representation in the House remains at 71 seats following recounts, they could forfeit their previous veto-proof majority in the General Assembly, complicating Hall’s ability to push right-leaning legislation amidst potential vetoes from Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Stein.
Hall, at 37 years old, will succeed Moore, who recently secured a congressional seat. Moore had previously indicated that his fifth term as speaker would be his last, setting off a silent campaign for his successor’s position in which Hall and Majority Leader John Bell of Wayne County were prominent candidates.
In October 2023, senior House GOP leaders endorsed a plan designating Hall as the caucus nominee for speaker, with the intention that Hall would appoint Bell to the rules chairman position if he were elected. Hall confirmed his intention to select Bell for that role on Tuesday.
This development paved the way for a vacancy in the majority leader position, which can be filled by a vote from the House Republican Caucus. On Tuesday, the caucus elected current Deputy Majority Leader Brenden Jones of Columbus County over Rep. Mark Pless from Haywood County.
Additionally, House Republicans nominated Rep. Mitchell Setzer from Catawba County as their speaker pro tempore candidate, replacing the incumbent Sarah Stevens from Surry County. Stevens has held the pro tem position, the chamber’s second-highest elected role, since 2017, which includes overseeing debates in the speaker’s absence.
Hall, a Granite Falls attorney, was first elected to the House in 2016 and has quickly risen through the ranks. By 2020, he had become co-chair of the rules committee and later assumed the sole chairmanship, where he managed legislative processes in the chamber.
As chairman of the House Redistricting Committee, Hall has played a significant role in maneuvering electoral district maps through the legislature since 2019. He was also responsible for advancing a bill that gained traction this week, which mandates sheriffs to assist federal immigration agents in apprehending individuals illegally residing in the country who are currently held in county jails.
Jones, a funeral home owner, has recently been re-elected for his fifth term in the House. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are also gearing up to select their leadership team, and it is highly likely that they will nominate Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger for another two-year term. Berger, representing Rockingham County, has held this leadership role since Republicans gained control of the General Assembly in 2011 and is now serving his seventh term as pro tem, making him second in historical tenure to the late Sen. Marc Basnight.
This month, Republicans secured 30 seats, ensuring their continued supermajority within the 50-seat Senate.