National Democrats jump into NC race: Why Rep. Tricia Cotham’s opponent will benefit

Democrats are throwing more support behind their party’s candidate in the Charlotte area’s most closely watched 2024 election for the North Carolina legislature.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the official committee focused on state legislative races, named Nicole Sidman, who is running against controversial Republican incumbent Tricia Cotham in southeast Mecklenburg County’s House District 105, a “spotlight candidate.” Sidman is one of 180 state legislative candidates across the country to receive the distinction, the group said.

“The program is a great way to publicize state legislative candidates to a national audience, raise money directly for the candidates and caucuses and draw attention to some of the most important state legislative races in upcoming elections,” DLCC national press secretary Sam Paisley said.

Sidman called the DLCC’s backing a sign of “how much our race means to parents and families in our community and across North Carolina.”

“The fight for abortion rights, voting rights and better public education is happening every day in communities like ours, but it’s become harder because Tricia Cotham broke the promises she made to our neighbors,” Sidman said. “Instead, she became a MAGA Republican to advance her own political and personal agenda.”

A former teacher and lawyer who now works as congregational life director for Temple Beth El in Charlotte, she won a three-person Democratic primary to challenge Cotham in early March with 57.3% of the vote.

Cotham enraged many in the Democratic Party in 2023 when she switched parties, giving the Republicans a veto-proof supermajority in Raleigh. Cotham’s switch made national news because it helped Republicans pass a bill restricting abortion access and a sweeping expansion to the state’s school voucher program.

Now, the party is betting Sidman could be the one to restore some legislative power to Democrats.

“Democrats need to gain only one seat to break the toxic Republican supermajority in either chamber to restore the governor’s veto power — the DLCC is all hands on deck to make that happen,” Paisley said.

What does ‘spotlight’ mean for Sidman vs. Cotham?

The DLCC predicts the Sidman vs. Cotham race “will be one of the tightest races in North Carolina this year.” Although the newly redrawn District 105 is now more conservative-leaning, other factors could still make it a winnable seat for Sidman, multiple experts previously told The Charlotte Observer.

In addition to working with her on “campaign, finance and communications plans,” the spotlight program will also allow Sidman to fundraise directly from the DLCC’s “spotlight” webpage.

She posted a healthy fundraising lead headed into the primary, reporting $51,600.13 in donations during the primary election cycle and $26,096.03 in cash on hand ahead of Election Day. Her donors included Mecklenburg County commissioners Susan Rodriguez-McDowell and Laura Meier, former Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member Jennifer De La Jara, former Charlotte City Council member Julie Eiselt, former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl and current Huntersville Mayor and former state representative Christy Clark.

In addition to their direct support of Sidman, the DLCC “already delivered two direct rounds of investments to the North Carolina General Assembly for this cycle,” Paisley added.

What other NC candidates made the ‘spotlight’ list?

Sidman isn’t the only Charlotte-area Democrat to make the DLCC’s list.

Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams, running in Cabarrus County’s House District 73; Woodson Bradley, running in Mecklenburg County’s Senate District 42; and Beth Helfrich, running in Mecklenburg’s House District 98, are also “spotlight” candidates, according to the DLCC’s announcement.

Other North Carolina candidates to make the cut are:

• David Hill (Senate District 7, New Hanover County)

• James Mercer (Senate District 11, Nash, Franklin and Vance counties)

• Sen. Lisa Grafstein (Senate District 13, Wake County)

• Rep. Terence Everitt (Senate District 18, Granville and Wake counties)

• Dante Pittman (House District 24, Nash and Wilson counties)

• Lorenza Wilkins(House District 25, Nash County)

• Bryan Cohn (House District 32, Granville and Vance counties)

• Evonne Hopkins (House District 35, Wake County)

• Safiyah Jackson (House Distrit 37, Wake County)

• Rep. Lindsey Prather (House District 115, Buncombe County)

“Our 14 spotlight candidates and expansive target map means that there are multiple pathways to breaking the undemocratic control that legislative Republicans currently have,” DLCC President Heather Williams said.

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