Edwin Peacock hopes for ‘buyer’s remorse’ in Charlotte mayor’s race

Republican Edwin Peacock hopes to win Charlotte’s mayoral race by reminding voters of the election he lost.

Peacock, 45, lost in 2013 to Democrat Patrick Cannon, who’s now in federal prison on corruption charges.

“This is the first election since the most embarrassing chapter in Charlotte’s political history,” Peacock said. “We hope there’s some buyer’s remorse.”

Peacock faces Scott Stone in the Sept. 15 Republican primary. The winner goes on to face the Democratic nominee in November.

A Charlotte native, Peacock was the last Republican elected citywide when he served the second of two at-large terms on City Council. He lost a re-election bid in 2011 and a year later ran unsuccessfully for Congress.

He’s a financial adviser and a fitness buff. A self-described pragmatist, he’s has always been a political moderate.

When Peacock was on the council, then-Mayor Pat McCrory asked him to head the Environment Committee. He studied the issue and organized two town hall meetings on environmental issues.

Running for Congress in 2012, he was the only one of 10 GOP candidates in the 9th District to publicly oppose an amendment to ban gay marriage.

Affable and upbeat, Peacock believes he can appeal to all voters in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 – and where even unaffiliated voters outnumber Republicans.

“He’s got the knowledge and experience to help the city continue moving forward,” said former GOP council member Andy Dulin, who served with Peacock. “And he’s got the temperament for it as well. He’s even-keeled.”

Jim Morrill

This story was originally published August 15, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Edwin Peacock hopes for ‘buyer’s remorse’ in Charlotte mayor’s race."