NC Gov. Josh Stein's southern charm strategy

Why it matters: Stein's "charm offensive," as one person in his administration called it, could mean more compromises, policy solutions and bipartisan legislation than North Carolina has seen in the last eight years.

• The potential for bipartisanship also comes at a critical time for the state as it embarks on the long road of hurricane recovery, and with possible changes coming to the flow of federal disaster relief and education funding.

The big picture: Stein's strategy also comes as his party remains fiercely divided over how to resist President Trump's agenda, with some Democrats taking a more defensive approach to Republicans, rather than a bipartisan one.

Driving the news: In the first few months of his term, Stein has been in touch with first-term and veteran Republican lawmakers alike, key political players tell Axios.

• The strategy is "f***ing brilliant," one Republican lobbyist, granted anonymity to speak freely about his party's chief political opponent, told Axios, because "there were some preconceived notions about how Stein might interact with the General Assembly."
• Stein's efforts to connect regularly with Republican lawmakers, along with steering away from excessive partisan rhetoric in speeches and statements and making some moderate policy and budget proposals, could make his relationship with Republicans better than that of his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

What they're saying: "So far, Governor Stein has done a better job connecting with the legislature than his predecessor," Republican House Speaker Destin Hall, who began his first term as speaker in January, said in a statement to Axios.

• "While we haven't agreed on every issue, he has been responsive and approachable."

Yes, but: It's still early in Stein's term, and numerous Democrats and Republicans equated the positive start to a "honeymoon" phase.

• "We'll see what happens when the rubber meets the road — once we're sending bills and the budget to his desk, the governor will have to choose between pleasing his party's out-of-control, left-wing activist base and maintaining a productive relationship with the legislature," Hall said.

Still, Stein's friendliness toward Republicans so far is somewhat unprecedented. Hall and Republican House Rules chair John Bell told Axios that they'd talked more with Stein in his first three months as governor than they ever talked with Cooper in eight years.

• Both Hall and Bell were in the lower ranks of leadership when Cooper was in office, but numerous political players told Axios that, in addition to being in contact with Republican leaders, Stein has reached out to first-term House Republicans.
• "I'm not in this position to shout, I'm in this position to accomplish things, and I will do what I need to do without compromising my core principles," Stein told an audience at his alma mater, Dartmouth, last month.

Between the lines: Stein's moderate policy proposals and relationships with lawmakers aren't exactly new. As attorney general, he had plenty of battles with the Republican legislature but also worked on numerous bipartisan issues and had working relationships with some Republicans prior to becoming governor, as evidenced by several that he appointed to his gubernatorial transition team.

State of play: Just as Republican legislators can block Stein's priorities, he can spike theirs.

• The GOP is just one seat shy of a supermajority in the state House, which means they'll need the support of at least one Democrat — be it a House Democrat or Stein — to get bills over the finish line. In addition to finding compromises with Republicans, one of Stein's greatest challenges will be keeping Democrats in line on veto override votes.

The latest: So far, it's been in both the Republican-controlled legislature's and Stein's best interests to work together, as helping western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene — and quickly allocating money to do that — is everyone's top priority.

• In Stein's first State of the State speech, Helene recovery was front and center, and, while he criticized some Republican policies, he also touted some with bipartisan support, including announcing that he is directing his budget office to set up an "Impact Center" to ensure state government is running "efficiently and effectively because people should know that their tax dollars are being well spent."
• One week later, he signed the legislature's latest Helene recovery package mere hours after the Senate signed off on it.

Zoom out: Stein has also sought to play nice with Trump, whose first trip in his second term was to western North Carolina.

• Stein greeted Trump on the tarmac and thanked him for coming and shining a light on North Carolina.
• "Families, businesses, and communities are struggling and need these urgent resources to help them rebuild," Stein said in a statement about Trump's visit. "I look forward to working with the Trump Administration in the coming weeks and months to get people what they need to rebuild and recover."
• Trump also appointed Stein to co-chair the bipartisan Council of Governors.

Meanwhile, Stein has filed three separate lawsuits against Republican lawmakers, alleging that their passage of legislation that stripped him of some of his key appointment and oversight powers violates the state's separation of powers clause.

• "There are gonna be times when they do things that I very much disagree with — to the point where I actually had to go court to file a lawsuit to block them from their illegal, unconstitutional moves — but I then need to work with them on Hurricane Helene the next day."