Republicans once controlled Charlotte government. How long ago was that?
The city of Charlotte has undergone a variety of changes in its 254-year history, and the Queen City’s political landscape has been a part of that evolution.
At the state level, Republicans have controlled the legislature since 2011. But Charlotte, like many large cities across the country, has leaned left, toward a more heavily Democratic government.
It wasn’t always that way. Here’s how Charlotte’s political landscape has evolved over the last 25 years.
Republicans were in control 25 years ago
In 1997, the Charlotte City Council’s political makeup was nearly even, but Republicans held the majority over Democrats by a 6-5 margin. The mayor at the time was Pat McCrory, a Republican, who served in that position from 1995 to 2009. He became the state’s governor in 2013.
Republicans lose control of City Council in 1999
By 1999, the city of Charlotte was led by a Democratic-majority council that would go on to maintain a 7-4 margin for the next decade.
In 2004, the Republican Party also lost the majority hold on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, with a new composition of six Democrats to three Republicans.
In 2018, for the first time since 1964, the nine-member Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners was made up entirely of Democrats. It has maintained that stronghold for the last four years.
Democrats gain popularity in Charlotte
As the city has evolved, so has its political preference, with Charlotte City Council and the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners becoming increasingly Democratic. By 2012, the City Council was made up of nine Democrats and only two Republicans.
The city underwent a handful of mayoral transitions after Democrats took control, passing the position from Anthony Foxx to fellow Democrats Patrick Cannon, elected in 2013; Jennifer Roberts in 2015; and Vi Lyles, who remains in power today, in 2017.
Where we are today
The makeup of the Charlotte City Council is a 9-2 Democratic majority. Charlotte’s mayor, Vi Lyles, is also a Democrat.
- Braxton Winston (D), at-large
- LaWana Slack-Mayfield (D), at-large
- Dimple Ajmera (D), at-large
James Mitchell (D), at-large
- Dante Anderson (D), District 1
- Malcolm Graham (D), District 2
- Victoria Watlington (D), District 3
- Renee Perkins Johnson (D), District 4
- Marjorie Molina (D), District 5
- Tariq Bokhari (R), District 6
- Edmund Driggs (R), District 7
The Charlotte City Council’s composition won’t have the opportunity to shift until municipal elections next year.
The makeup of the Board of County Commissioners is a 9-0 Democratic majority:
- Pat Cotham (D), at-large
- Leigh Altman (D), at-large
- Wilhelmenia I. Rembert, (D), Temporary at-large
- Elaine Powell (D), District 1
- Vilma D. Leake (D), District 2
- George Dunlap (D), District 3
- Mark Jerrell (D), District 4
- Laura Meier (D), District 5
- Susan Rodriguez-McDowell (D), District 6
Elections this fall could change the county commission’s Democratic composition, but the fact that Republicans haven’t held the majority since 2002 makes it unlikely voters will see a flip from all-Democratic to Republican majority.
Five of the six Republican hopefuls seeking to replace board members — Tatyana Thulien (at-large), Ross Monks (District 1), Dianna Benson (District 3), Ray Fuentes (District 4), Matthew Ridenhour (District 5) and Jeremy Brasch (District 6) — would need to be elected in this year’s race to win back the majority.
This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
