Democrat Nicole Sidman will face party-switching Rep. Tricia Cotham in House District 105
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Charlotte-area Democrats chose their candidate to challenge a controversial Republican legislator Tuesday.
Nicole Sidman won House District 105 in southeast Mecklenburg County, where a trio of Democrats squared off in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. She will now face Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham, who made headlines for switching parties last year and giving Republicans a veto-proof majority in the General Assembly.
Sidman won 57.3% of the votes cast. Yolonda Holmes was in second, with 38%, and Terry Lansdell was in a distant third with 4.8% of the vote. Heading into Election Day, Sidman also posted a healthy lead in fundraising.
Cotham’s switch made national news because it allowed Republicans to pass a bill restricting abortion access and a sweeping expansion to the state’s school voucher program. Her switch was a focal point of the Democratic primary, with voters prodding candidates about why they’d be able to beat Cotham in a Republican-leaning district.
Shortly after 10 p.m., Sidman told The Charlotte Observer her “overall emotion” was gratitude toward her campaign staff and volunteers who canvassed for her and turned out at polling places throughout the district.
Sidman said she and her team will try to maintain their momentum, share her message with the community and educate voters.
“This election is not about Tricia,” she said. “It’s about restoring the promises she broke to women, to the LGBTQ community, to our schools, to our state. This election is about that. And we shouldn’t get distracted. We should keep focusing on the issues.”
Senate District 41: Four-way race to replace Natasha Marcus
In Mecklenburg’s Senate District 41, Caleb Theodros was the victor out of four Democrats running for the seat formerly held by Natasha Marcus. Marcus elected to run for state commissioner of insurance after she was drawn out of her district during redistricting.
Theodros, former chair of the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and a past candidate for Charlotte City Council District 3, received 42.9% of the vote.
Lucille Puckett, a previous candidate for Charlotte mayor and the state legislature, was in second with 31.2%. Kendrick Cunningham and Robert Bruns followed with 16.5% and 9.4%, respectively.
No Republicans filed to run in the district, so Theodros will head to Raleigh.
In a statement, he called his victory “a profound honor.”
“It’s a testament to the community’s understanding and support of our message advocating for progress on crucial issues like mental health, economic development, and women’s rights,” he said. “This victory signifies a collective commitment to prioritizing mental wellness, fostering economic growth and championing gender equality. I am deeply honored by the trust placed in me and pledge to champion these causes tirelessly in the state Senate, ensuring that our community continues to thrive and progress for all its members.”
Senate District 42: Big-spending Republican primary for open seat
In Mecklenburg County’s only Republican primary for the state legislature, Republican Stacie McGinn beatJaime Daniell, wrapping up a campaign with plenty of spending and a lawsuit.
McGinn had 51.7% of the vote to Daniell’s 48.3%.
Both candidates gave their campaigns hefty loans and spent much it on outside consulting firms, campaign finance records show.
The race took a late turn when the company co-owed by Daniell sued McGinn and her campaign for libel and slander, WBT News reported. The suit claimed McGinn made false and defamatory claims in campaign mailers and text messages about the company’s support of “WOKE DEI” practices.
McGinn will face Democrat Woodson Bradley in the fall. The current District 42 representative, Democrat Rachel Hunt, is running for lieutenant governor.
Other Charlotte-area legislative primaries
In other primary election results:
With 13 of 13 precincts reporting , challenger Brian Echevarria led narrowly with 50.9% of the vote to incumbent Rep. Kevin Crutchfield’s 49% in the Republican primary for House District 82, in Cabarrus County. Echevarria made headlines when he ran for state legislature in 2022 when he was tied to a Facebook page called Spank That Tail, which posted memes about spanking children who, among other things, were caught “twerking” and not going to church. Echevarria took credit for the page but said it was a joke, the Observer reported at the time.
With all 11 precincts reporting, Beth Gardner Helfrich led with 65.5% of the vote to Lisa Jewel’s 34.5% in the Democratic primary for House District 98, in Mecklenburg County.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Carla Cunningham easily won her primary over challenger Vermanno Bowman by a margin of 84.6% to 15.4%.
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