The most powerful Republican in North Carolina, Senate leader Phil Berger, cut off Senate Democrats’ debate Monday night during a controversial map vote, in a rare move the minority party leader likened to that of “a dictator.”

It’s an allowable procedural move that’s been used in the House to end debate and get right to a vote, but has not been used in the Senate under Berger’s leadership, until now.

It followed hours of debate over the new congressional map Republicans drew at the behest of Republican President Donald Trump, to give Republicans a seat representing Eastern North Carolina in the U.S. House, which is currently held by Democratic Rep. Don Davis.

Republicans gained control of the Senate and House in the 2010 election, and Berger moved up to president pro tempore, which is the Senate leader. In the past 14 years as leader, he and his colleagues said, he has never “called the question,” which is a motion to end debate and immediately proceed to a vote on the bill.

Berger made the move Monday evening, before Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch, a Wake County Democrat, debated the bill. It is customary for the minority leader to be the last member of their caucus to speak. Asked about it after the session adjourned, Berger said that Senate Democrats had debated the bill for more than two hours and that Batch should have stood up to debate sooner.

Senate Democrats had tried several procedural moves of their own, from immediately adjourning to tabling the bill containing the map.

Batch describes Senate leader as ‘being a dictator’

Batch said Berger’s move was “what happens when you have 14 years of being a dictator and not having anyone stand up to you. But (Senate Democrats) don’t have to stand, we don’t have to sit by, and get treated like children.”

“Because, let’s be very clear, we were all elected by the exact same amount of people as (Republicans) were, and it is outrageous that our voices were silenced,” Batch said Monday.

On Tuesday, asked about Batch’s remarks, Berger said that she had seconded a motion to adjourn the Senate, one of several strategic moves Democrats made to delay the controversial vote on a new congressional map.

“For her to stand up and say that we stopped her from speaking is laughable, because she had requested that we actually stop debate altogether at that time,” Berger said.

“And so I felt it was appropriate that — they had apparently finished saying anything that needed to be said on the substance of the bill — and had gotten to just trying to deal with procedural matters, procedural tricks and things of that nature. And I thought it was an insult to the body itself,” he said.

Disagreements between Berger and Batch began even before the legislative session started in January.

Batch and Berger at odds after Batch replaced Blue

In the spring, Sen. Dan Blue, a Wake County Democrat and former longtime Senate minority leader, emerged as a swing vote for Republicans. Blue and Berger have had a longstanding cordial relationship. But when Batch was chosen by the Senate Democratic Caucus as the new leader instead of Blue, she did not receive the same committee appointments, staff and office space Blue had. Berger and Senate Rules and Operations Chair Bill Rabon make decisions about offices, staff and committee assignments.

During the final vote Tuesday on the congressional map bill, Batch did not debate the bill.

She said afterward that it was because on Monday she was “extremely disappointed and frustrated with Sen. Berger and his decision to call the question for the first time in his 14 years. I’m very frustrated by the fact that since I have been leader, and I don’t know why that is, I can just tell you that being the first Black woman to lead a caucus in the state, that I have been treated very differently.”

Batch noted committees, office and staff differences again on Tuesday talking to reporters, including that she was not chosen to escort Berger to the well of the Senate on the ceremonial opening day of session. Instead, Blue was the sole Democratic escort.

Before being longtime Senate minority leader, Blue was the first Black House speaker in North Carolina. Blue kept his office this session, and Batch moved into the office that Berger used when he was minority leader. Blue told The N&O in April that “I don’t know what the big deal is that I didn’t give up (my office).”

Rabon previously told The News & Observer that he’s treating Batch the same as he did Blue, when Blue was minority leader.

“I gave her the same respect, and will continue to, that I gave to Sen. Blue,” Rabon said in May.

Berger said that Batch is “getting the respect she deserves,” and did not comment directly on Batch’s description of dictatorship.

Batch told reporters on the Senate floor after Tuesday’s session that Berger “calling the question” before she debated the bill on Monday is another example of different treatment.

“So when I did not speak today, it’s because I honestly believe firmly in my core that, frankly, I haven’t had enough therapy this week to be able to muster the amount of decorum that I needed to speak on this (Senate) floor,” Batch said, “and I respect this chamber, unlike him, enough so that if I know that I am not able to modulate and regulate my own emotions, that I sit in that chair, and that’s exactly what I did.”

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