NC House Majority Leader Bell on avoiding the camera, his pick for president and Moore

Start your week in #ncpol #ncga with our latest Under the Dome politics podcast. Dawn Vaughan here, your News & Observer Capitol Bureau Chief and podcast host. I interviewed N.C. House Republican Majority Leader John Bell for this episode for the week of June 26, 2023.

It’s the end of the month but not the end of the legislative session, not yet anyway. This past week was a wild one with allegations of sexual favors related to an affair in a lawsuit against House Speaker Tim Moore. Moore denies most of the allegations, but confirmed a “casual” relationship with a state employee he says was separated from her husband at the time. Moore is divorced.

I asked Bell what he thought of the lawsuit and its impact on the caucus, and a lot less dramatic moments in state government, too.

“The Speaker called me Sunday night and gave me a heads up this was gonna happen, and I hate it for him and all parties involved. It’s just not a good situation regardless of how you look at it,” Bell said. “But it became my job to make sure that the caucus stays focused. We have a budget to get done, we’ve got bills to get done.”

Bell grew up in Mount Olive and told me about the significance of that old bench in his office in the Legislative Office Building. Plus why, for a majority leader, he doesn’t always want to get in front of the camera, or talk the most during floor debates. And why he’s known for pushing legislation about flood mitigation, the military and firefighters.

“I joke with some other colleagues that the most dangerous place that you could be is between them and a TV camera. That’s not me. So I just look at my job as Majority Leader different. So my job as Majority Leader is to help navigate the caucus’ agenda, and to make sure that — there’s 72 members of our caucus — to make sure that 71 other representatives get the job done for their district,” Bell said.

We also talked about Bell’s political career and future — from how he won his first election to the House, how he rose through the Republican ranks and if or when he wants to run for higher office. I also asked him about working with Moore, House Rules Chair Destin Hall, House Democratic Leader Robert Reives and his friend in the other chamber, Sen. Jim Perry, a Kinston Republican.

Bell also makes a presidential endorsement: he wants Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to win his party’s nomination and the White House. Listen to hear why.

Fried chicken and Headliner of the Week

Bell’s menu item of choice from the Legislative Cafeteria is more than one dish — hear his full order. Plus bonus North Carolina food and drink content about Mount Olive pickles and Pepsi. And stay tuned to the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week. Spoilers: mine is about Legislative Summer 2023 and Bell’s is about a certain competitive baseball team.

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