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It will likely be the biggest campaign ever in Mecklenburg County for a state legislative seat.
Wait, make that the state.
Inside Politics is talking about Republican incumbent Tricia Cotham against a Democratic challenger in November.
Cotham, of course, switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. The move gave the North Carolina GOP a supermajority — and Cotham’s defection and the aftermath drew interest not only from The New York Times, but also the BBC, The Daily Mail and The Toronto Star.
Now the Democratic Party’s efforts to unseat her are taking shape.
Not only could the race decide whether the state GOP keeps its supermajority, it’s for Democrats a deeply personal contest. Many felt humiliated at her party switch.
Three Democrats have filed for her seat, House District 105 in southeast Charlotte.
The first candidate to file was Yolanda Holmes. She finished second to Cotham in a four-person field in the 2022 Democratic primary for Cotham’s current House seat.
She has worked for the U.S. Department of Defense and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
On Thursday, Nicole Sidman also entered the race. She hasn’t run for office before, though she ran Christy Clark’s successful 2018 state House race against Republican John Bradford.
Originally from New York, she has been in Charlotte since 2017. She is the director of congregational life at Temple Beth El.
On Friday morning, Democrat Terry Lansdell also filed to run. He’s a member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission and executive director of BikeWalkNC.
Holmes, Sidman and Lansdell will compete in March for the right to compete against Tricia Cotham in November.
“I saw somebody who had promised her constituents one thing and then within a number of months completely flipped and it was not a decision she made without consequences,” Sidman said. “It was not just a political choice she made. By doing that she has really impacted people’s lives in so many ways.”
Sidman added: “I just felt like this was the opposite of what democracy is supposed to look like. You are supposed to be able to count on the people you voted for.”
Inside Politics couldn’t reach Lansdell him. We’ve also reached out to Holmes several times. She texted that her campaign manager would respond, but that hasn’t happened.
District 105 includes Mint Hill, Matthews and the most conservative parts of south Charlotte. In 2020, Donald Trump won it by two percentage points. In the same election, Democrat Roy Cooper won it by one point.
Mecklenburg Democratic Party Chair Drew Kromer said 105 will be the most expensive House race in the state next year.
“Look, an R+2 district is no longer enough to protect you when you come for our voting rights,” he said. “It's no longer enough to protect you when you sell out women's rights. And it sure isn't enough to protect you when you betray your constituents!”
How will the primary shake out?
Holmes ran against Cotham before and can argue that she deserves a second chance to defeat her.
She secured the Lillian’s List endorsement that year. That’s a national group that supports women running for office who support abortion rights.
But money would be a challenge. In the 2022 race, she only raised a little more than $14,000.
Sidman hasn’t run for office before, but she does have connections, having hosted a fundraiser for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein earlier this year. Will he respond in kind?
And there is another uphill battle for Holmes: different demographics in the new district.
When she ran in 2022, the district was heavily Democratic, and included many precincts in east Charlotte that are majority-minority. Holmes is African American.
This time, Republicans have redrawn the map again. They cut out east Charlotte entirely. District 105 is now 75% white and only 8% Black.
Cotham: shoring up her new base
Cotham, meanwhile, has been solidifying new alliances.
In September, the town of Mint Hill — where Cotham lives — received nearly $17 million in funding in the state budget thanks to her lobbying.
The Mint Hill Athletic Association is getting $1.3 million and the Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce is getting $75,000 for leadership training. The Mint Hill Historical Society is getting $150,000.
