Report: NC House (R) from Cabarrus sought job with Stein while mulling over veto vote

Charlotte media has uncovered an example of the kind of thing we’ve been trying to tell you about for years:

A Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives sought a job in the administration of incoming Democratic Governor-Elect Josh Stein, as he considered whether to vote to override a veto of a controversial bill.

North Carolina Rep. Kevin Crutchfield (R-Cabarrus) was among a group of Republican lawmakers considering voting to uphold a veto by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper of Senate Bill 382.

But multiple sources with knowledge of the workings of the state House Republican Caucus told WBTV that Crutchfield — who voted in favor of the bill when it first passed the House — was one of at least four Republican lawmakers considering voting against overriding Cooper’s veto of SB 382.

The bill, passed in November, allocated additional money for Hurricane Helene recovery in western North Carolina, but also made a number of changes to the executive branch of government, many of which stripped additional powers from the Governor

Outgoing North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called the bill “a disgrace” when he vetoed the legislation. That veto has been overridden by the state Senate, but remains pending in the North Carolina House.

Crutchfield lost re-election in a March primary.

In an email to WBTV on Wednesday, Dec. 11, Crutchfield confirmed that he applied for a job in the administration of Governor-Elect Josh Stein.

“I simply applied for consideration for an appointment to a state agency, just like several hundred other applicants,” Crutchfield said in the email

“Separate from that, The Governor Elect [sic] reached out to me to express his dissatisfaction of the legislation in SB 362 and encouraged me to consider supporting the gubernatorial veto,” Crutchfield said.

The people with knowledge of the House Republican Caucus’s inner workings — each of whom spoke with WBTV on the condition they not be named in order to discuss internal deliberations — believed Crutchfield had been offered a job in the Stein Administration in exchange for upholding Cooper’s veto of SB 382.

Crutchfield said there was never an offer of a position.

A spokeswoman for the Stein transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In his email, Crutchfield indicated he would support overriding the veto, but still expected to be under consideration for a position in the Stein administration.

“After careful consideration, I came to the conclusion that the legislation was good for North Carolina Citizens. I have no knowledge that my position on this legislation will have any impact on the consideration for the appointment application,” Crutchfield said.[…]