The Charlotte Mayor serves a two-year term and presides over City Council meetings. The
mayor casts tie-breaking votes and represents the city at events and ceremonies such as Meck
Dec Day. The incumbent, Vi Lyles, is running for her fifth term. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Terrie Donovan and Libertarian Rob Yates in the general election.
Charlotte Mayor
The Charlotte Mayor serves a two-year term and presides over City Council meetings. The mayor casts tie-breaking votes and represents the city at events and ceremonies such as Meck
Dec Day. The incumbent, Vi Lyles, is running for her fifth term. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Terrie Donovan and Libertarian Rob Yates in the general election.
Jaraun (Gemini) Boyd
Party: Democratic
Incumbent: No
Previous experience in elected office: None
Occupation: CEO of Project Bolt, a non-profit supporting formerly incarcerated individuals; Peer Support Specialist at the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office
Age: 51
Description: Boyd’s campaign focuses on public safety, affordable housing, expanded access to local health services and more reliable transit options. He opposes the transit tax referendum, arguing it would unfairly burden working-class residents who already struggle with a failing transportation system. His advocacy work is rooted in personal experience, as he spent over 20 years incarcerated and has since become a leader in reentry services. He serves on the board of the Center for Community Transitions.
Other personal: Boyd was raised in Charlotte, and most people call him “Gemini.” He is a single father to his 4-year-old daughter, Jax.
Delter Kenny Guin III
Party: Democratic
Incumbent: No
Previous experience in elected office: None
Occupation: Politician, banker, author
Age: 38
Description: Guin’s platform focuses on affordable housing, ending homelessness, reducing crime, cleaning up the city and curbing the authority of homeowners' associations. His campaign messaging emphasizes local control, safety and practical reforms aimed at empowering residents. His primary focus will be to make Charlotte more affordable. According to his campaign website, Guin “will advocate with city leaders and state legislators to implement new laws that will cap rent and not allow landlords to charge whatever they want without repercussions as they have been allowed to do for decades.”
Other personal: Guin was born and raised in Charlotte and describes himself as a “family man”.
Vi Lyles
Party: Democratic
Incumbent: Yes
Previous experience in elected office: Mayor of Charlotte (2017–present); Mayor Pro Tem (2015-2017); Charlotte City Council At-Large (2013–2017)
Occupation: Mayor of Charlotte
Age: 72
Description: Lyles is seeking a fifth term as mayor. She is the second-longest-serving Charlotte mayor (behind Pat McCrory) and is the first Black woman in the role. According to the Charlotte city council website, her accomplishments include expanding affordable housing, improving public safety and creating more economic opportunities for residents. She has also proposed reforms aimed at rebuilding public trust in city government following recent tensions among council members. She supports the transit tax referendum, arguing that it will “reduce congestion, stimulate economic opportunity and create a better quality of life."
Other personal: Lyles was raised in Columbia, South Carolina. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and Government from Queens University in 1973 and a Master of Public Administration from UNC Chapel Hill in 1975. She is a grandmother to two grandchildren at Trinity Episcopal School and two grandchildren in Washington DC. She has been widowed twice.
Brendan K. Maginnis
Party: Democratic
Incumbent: No
Previous experience in elected office: Ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House NC-14 in the 2024 primary and for the U.S. Senate in the 2022 primary
Occupation: Vice President of Maginnis Bros. Holding Co., a financial planning firm; U.S. Marine Corps veteran (1993–1997)
Age: 50
Description: Maginnis is running on a platform centered around affordability, infrastructure investment, economic opportunity and public safety. His campaign also emphasizes government transparency and restoring trust between the Council and residents, highlighted through his “Transparency Week” initiative. He does not support the transit tax referendum, saying that it “burdens working families in Charlotte, neglects east Charlotte, and prioritizes the costly $1.38 billion Red Line, benefitting wealthy suburbs outside Charlotte over urban needs in Charlotte.”
Other personal: Maginnis grew up in Winston-Salem and has lived in Charlotte for most of his life. He earned an associate’s degree from Cape Fear Community College in 2001 and a B.A. in Political Science from UNC Greensboro in 2003. He is a stay-at-home father.
Tigress Sydney Acute McDaniel
Party: Democratic
Incumbent: No
Previous experience in elected office: Ran unsuccessfully in a number of recent elections, including mayor, county commission, state house and the soil and water conservation district supervisor
Occupation: Private consultant at PH Corporation; CEO of Eargasm Records Label and Queen Get ’Er Done Consulting Agency
Description: McDaniel’s platform focuses on Black equity, women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, refugee resettlement, and honoring broken treaties with Native communities. She has proposed a range of policies to address systemic inequality. Her campaign uses the nickname “Queen Get ’Er Done.”
Other personal: McDaniel is a Greensboro native and a mother. She holds a B.S. in Agricultural Teacher Education and Environmental Science; an M.S. in Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (both from NC A&T); an M.F.A. from the University of Louisville; a Ph.D. in Energy, Environmental Systems, and Economics from NC A&T; and a J.D. from Taft Law School, an online program. She is currently pursuing her license to practice law. She was convicted of identity theft in her past and has shared a 52-minute explanation of the circumstances leading to her conviction. She has filed 100+ lawsuits and in 2018, she was ordered to stop.
This is republished with permission from the Charlotte Ledger/Election Hub.