Thom Tillis

State Rep. Thom Tillis (R-Cornelius) is among the top candidates to become the next speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives, thanks to his party’s win in this month’s election. House Republicans are supposed to meet Saturday to nominate leaders for the next session, which begins in January.

Listen to WUNC-FM reporter Laura Leslie’s audio report on the leadership votes below.

Rep. Tillis was Minority Whip during the last session. Raleigh politics-watchers say Minority Leader Paul Stam (R-Wake) also has a shot at winning the speakership.

On Thursday, Senate Republicans chose Sen. Phil Berger of Rockingham County, the minority leader for the past six years, as nominee for Senate President Pro Tempore. Sen. Harry Brown (R-Onslow) was nominated for Senate majority leader. Both were unopposed.

The race for House speaker is contested, with a variety of candidates throwing their hats into the ring. Rep. Tillis is a relative newcomer to the statehouse, elected in 2006. (We’re hoping to get Rep. Tillis on the phone today. Stay tuned, we’ll update this story if we do.)

Laura Leslie, the statehouse reporter with public radio station WUNC-FM, says the House Republican caucus has been strained for years, and there are tensions between “old-guard Republicans” and their newer peers.

This week’s party nominations for House and Senate leadership are a prelude to formal votes when the legislature reconvenes in late January.

LINKS

Nov. 18, 2010, WUNC-FM, “Statehouse Republicans Choose Leaders.” Laura Leslie’s public radio report on the leadership votes. Click on the link above (text and audio) or listen to her report below. (MP3 format, 4 min 52 sec.)

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Nov. 18, 2010, Raleigh News & Observer, “Phil Berger picked for top NC Senate job.”

Nov. 5, 2010, DavidsonNews.net, “Rep. Tillis says he wants to be speaker of the House.”