N.C. House Speaker Jim Black worked with former Rep. Michael Decker as early as November 2002 to secure the party switch that helped Black maintain his power in the state House.
But Black said he has never given Decker anything to secure his vote:
I never gave Michael Decker anything to change parties, to vote for me, or for any other political purposes. And I want to clear the air on that. That’s been said in public. That’s not the case. Michael Decker has testified to other people. There was nothing offered to him, nothing promised to him. He changed parties to vote for me because I always treated him with respect and dignity. And he came over to my side, and it resulted in probably the best session we ever had.
Once Decker did make the party switch, Black admits that worked to get money for Decker’s campaign.
