Elections 2026: Charlotte Democratic primary guide

How it works: Early voting is Feb. 12 through Feb. 28. Voters will cast ballots in their respective parties. During early voting, you can vote at any of the early sites in your county and register to vote while you're there if you aren't already. Find locations and times here.

• Primary Election Day, the last opportunity to vote, is Tuesday, March 3, 2026. On this day only, registered voters must go to their assigned polling place.
• Check your registration and find your sample ballot here.
• Bring your photo ID. A North Carolina driver's license or another form listed here is acceptable.
• The winning candidates will advance to the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

This story will be updated as new information about candidates becomes available. An emoji next to a candidate's name indicates they're an incumbent.

U.S. Senate

State of play: Republican Sen. Thom Tillis chose not to seek reelection. The Democratic nominee in this race will likely face the Republican front-runner, Michael Whatley, the former chair of the Republican National Committee.

• Roy Cooper, North Carolina's popular two-time former governor, is the Democratic favorite to challenge the GOP for the open Senate seat.
• Daryl Farrow
• Marcus Williams is a Lumberton attorney.
• Orrick Quick is a pastor who previously ran for High Point City Council.
• Justin Dues describes himself as an "anti-establishment, reform-focused" candidate.
• Robert Colon is another repeat U.S. Senate candidate, focused on crime. His slogan is "Creating a Safer America For Everyone."

U.S. House of Representatives

District 8

State of play: The nominee will face the incumbent Mark Harris, a Republican.

• Kevin Clark
• Colby Watson is a federal contractor whose issues include pushing corporate investors out of the housing market and improving the health care system, which he calls "criminal."
• Jesse Oppenheim is an attorney for a health care software company. Public safety is among his priorities, and he wants funding for first responders and stronger gun background checks "while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners."

District 12

• 🏛️ Alma Adams is in her fifth full term in Congress, representing most of Charlotte.

• Adams, 79, told WBTV her doctor gave her the green light to run again for a sixth term.
• Monaca Maye Johnson

District 14

State of play: This seat is currently held by North Carolina's former House Speaker Tim Moore, who is seeking reelection in the Republican primary.

• Brent Caldwell, a real estate attorney, says President Trump's trade policies have failed. Caldwell wants to "advance an economic vision that prioritizes working people."
• LaKesha Womack is the founder of a consulting firm for small businesses. Her top issues are affordable health care, economic mobility and education, including public school funding.
• Ahmid Kargbo wants Medicare for all, a high-speed rail network and to "end the Genocide in Palestine," according to his website.

N.C. State Senate

District 37

State of play: This seat is held by Republican Vickie Sawyer, who is seeking reelection in the Republican primary.

• Raygan Angel
• Precinda Bjorgen

N.C. State House

District 99

• 🏛️ Nasif Majeed is seeking a fifth term. He's come under fire with his party for occasionally helping the GOP lock in enough votes to override Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's vetoes.
• Veleria Levy is a health care consultant who says she has experience fighting bills that target "trans youth, reproductive freedom, and access to care."
• Tucker Neal is reportedly now endorsing Levy. His name will still appear on the ballot.

District 106

• 🏛️ Carla Cunningham, a seven-term representative, is another Charlotte Democrat sometimes rebuked by her own party for occasionally helping Republicans override Gov. Stein's vetoes. She voted for a bill that requires sheriffs to comply with ICE. Explaining her decision, she made a controversial speech, stating, "All cultures are not equal."
• She has since apologized for the speech.
• Cunningham has also been in the news for going head-to-head with Sheriff Garry McFadden. She and four of McFadden's former employees filed a (now dismissed) court petition accusing him of misconduct and extortion, and attempting to remove him from office.
• Vermanno Bowman, a former military police officer and a member of Indivisible Charlotte, challenged Cunningham in the 2024 primary. He says he wants to hold Duke Energy accountable. (Cunningham voted to terminate a mandate for Duke Energy to reduce carbon emissions.)
• Rodney Sadler has accused Cunningham of laying the groundwork for Border Patrol's Charlotte immigration raids in November by passing House Bill 318, which requires sheriffs to comply with ICE detainers. He's a minister who worked with the Rev. William Barber's Moral Monday movement.
• He has the notable endorsement of Gov. Stein. It's rare for the governor to get involved in Democratic primaries.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff

• 🏛️ Garry McFadden has faced numerous allegations of running a toxic workplace and an unsafe jail. He made headlines throughout 2025 for publicly sparring with ICE, and Republicans accused him of being the reason Border Patrol targeted Charlotte after not honoring detainers.
• McFadden has become a fixture in local law enforcement throughout his four-decade career. He gained recognition as a detective for starring in the reality TV show "I Am Homicide" in 2016. Former President Biden honored him with the President's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Go deeper: North Carolina lawmakers question Mecklenburg County sheriff's competency in fiery hearing

• Rodney Collins worked for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office for 30 years. Now retired, he says he wants to reestablish a healthy workplace culture at the sheriff's office and address vacancies.
• Antwain Nance worked in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center for two years a decade ago and has since represented a labor union. He views his outside experience as a positive qualification. He wants to reopen the county's youth detention facility and involve deputies in on-the-ground law enforcement with CMPD, he told the Charlotte Observer.
• Ricky Robbins is a sergeant with CMPD and has taught criminal justice at Central Piedmont Community College. He says his priorities are to keep inmates and detention officers safe and hire and retain staff. He has star-powered endorsements from Carolina Panthers players Chuba Hubbard and Derek Brown and former linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners

State of play: Residents will elect three at-large commissioners, representing all of Mecklenburg County, and one representative to their district.

At-Large

• 🏛️ Leigh Altman, an attorney and the commissioners' vice chair, is running for a fourth term. She has been influential in the passage of the county's transportation tax increase as a member of the Metropolitan Transit Commission.
• 🏛️ Arthur Griffin, who has served since 2022, was previously a senior vice president for McGraw-Hill Education.
• 🏛️ Yvette Townsend-Ingram was first elected in 2024, upsetting longtime incumbent Pat Cotham.
• Ingram, who was arrested for a DWI in May 2024 during her first term, has an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to comply with the community service requirements of her plea deal.
• Felicia Thompkins has run for county commission before. She says she'd prioritize mental health services, aging-in-place policies and transit access.
• Olivia Scott previously ran for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
• Heather Morrow was arrested while protesting Charlotte's immigration raids in November. ICE claimed she tried to jump on an agent's back, but a bystander video released later did not show that. Her felony charge was dismissed, according to the Charlotte Observer.
• Toni Emehel ran for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education in 2025.
• Sharif Hannan says he would challenge public-private partnerships to ensure taxpayers aren't footing the bill. He also questions the county's first responder training facility in Matthews, dubbed by critics "cop city."
• Leslie Allen says she will read budgets "line by line."
• Nichel Dunlap-Thomas is a former CATS operator who's advocating for a safer transportation system.

District 1

State of play: Four-term commissioner Elaine Powell is not running again.

• Morris "Mac" McAdoo, founder of McAdoo Law Group in Uptown, is a prosecutor who has advocated for people with disabilities.
• Adam Pasiak is the former chair of the Democrats of North Mecklenburg.
• Jessica Finkel describes herself as a climate and racial justice organizer and is a former secretary of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP.

District 2

• 🏛️ Vilma Leake is a longtime commissioner, first elected in 2008. In 2024, she made headlines for calling Chair George Dunlap "Black Donald Trump" after he gave another commissioner time to speak at a meeting over her.
• Mo Drayton is the former Mecklenburg County Democratic Party executive director who resigned, comparing her experience at the organization to that of "professional Black women during the Jim Crow era." She spent 20 years of her career in Atrium Health leadership.

District 3

• 🏛️ George Dunlap is a longtime commissioner, serving six of his 17 years as chair. He says he's a strong supporter of business investment grants and preparing students for the workforce (including non-public school students), having served on the board of education for over 13 years.
• Phil Carey, the owner of a property management company, hears appeals on assessed property values as a member of the county's Board of Equalization and Review. He says he's running because "District 3 deserves leadership that shows up."

N.C. Court of Appeals Seat 3

State of play: Democratic Judge Allegra Collins is leaving her seat. The advancing Democrat will face Craig Collins, who has no opposition in the Republican primary.

• James Weldon Whalen is an appellate attorney in the Department of Justice. His campaign website says he "helped ensure every lawful vote counted in Justice Allison Riggs' Supreme Court race."
• Christine Marie Walczyk has served as a district court trial judge in Wake County for 18 years and previously represented small businesses with their transactional and litigation needs.

Mecklenburg County Superior Court District 26C

State of play:

• George Guise is a lawyer with over 35 years of experience. He's done pro bono work for Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy. He taught poverty law at Davidson and served as the college's general counsel.
• Caleb Newman is a senior assistant district attorney in Rowan County.

Mecklenburg County District Court Seat 18

• 🏛️ Cecilia Oseguera was appointed to the bench by Gov. Cooper in 2022 and elected later that year. Before that, she served for 17 years as an assistant federal public defender.
• Habekah Cannon is the managing attorney of her own law firm and serves as secretary of the North Carolina chapter of the National Conference of Black Lawyers.