Democrat Kimberly Owens wins Charlotte District 6 race over Krista Bokhari
Democrat Kimberly Owens ran away with victory in what was expected to be a tight race for Charlotte City Council District 6. Her defeat of Republican Krista Bokhari marks the first time a seat has flipped parties in Charlotte in 14 years.
Democrats will now occupy all but one seat on the 11-person council.
District 6 in south Charlotte was a rare Republican stronghold as the city and its leadership pushed increasingly to the left, but the margin separating Republicans from Democrats had dwindled.
In 2023, incumbent Councilman Tariq Bokhari narrowly defeated Democratic challenger Stephanie Hand by a margin of just 1.36%, or about 300 votes. Krista Bokhari is the former councilman’s wife.
Tuesday’s vote marked the turning point. With all 38 precincts reporting, Owens had 56.5% of the vote compared to Bokhari’s 43.4%.
Owens is an attorney who has lived in Charlotte since the ‘90s and said she wants to make the city a more affordable place for young residents like her children. She touted her law experience, which she said has given her a thoughtful and judicious approach to considering important issues.
She attributed her win to her ground game: Owens’ campaign knocked on 15,000 doors and sent 10,000 handwritten postcards in an attempt to inspire connection with her district’s voters.
“It gives hope to people that money doesn’t win elections,” Owens told The Charlotte Observer. “I was outraised, but i wasn’t outworked.”
Krista Bokhari pitched herself as a different kind of leader than her husband, whose approach she said could make people bristle. Tariq Bokhari was known for his outspoken style, which landed the city in hot water earlier this year when text messages he sent to the police chief threatening his career reportedly led to a $305,000 settlement to avoid a potential lawsuit.
At a watch party Tuesday night, Bokhari supporters expressed disbelief at the outcome and concern over one-party rule.
“There were so many people who worked so hard to make sure that we had accountability, that we had transparency, that we had a council that was balanced. We lost that tonight, and the voters of Charlotte might just get what they asked for,” Bokhari said in a concession speech. “There was a blue wave, and the voters of Charlotte completely voted in this election based on national politics. And that was a big mistake.”
Democrats lead across Charlotte
Elsewhere in Charlotte, Democrats swept in every competitive City Council race.
All four at-large incumbents won by a wide margin with all 169 precincts reporting. Dimple Ajmera led with 21.1% of the vote, followed by Victoria Watlington with 20.8%, James “Smuggie” Mitchell with 19.7% and LaWana Slack-Mayfield with 19.2%.
“I really hope we can keep up with this margin because this shows us what’s ahead in 2026,” Ajmera said in a victory speech at the Mecklenburg County Democrats watch party.
Since Democrats arrived — state representatives and senators, city officials and state Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton — they have made several references to next year’s midterms and pushing back against the Trump administration.
Local issues have not been forgotten, though.
Ajmera said council would “continue to work hard when it comes to our public safety, our infrastructure, our housing and everything.”
Republican Edwin Peacock III trailed with 10% of the vote. Peacock is an experienced local politician who ran a well-financed campaign, raising more money than all of the incumbents combined in the months leading up to the election.
He served at-large from 2007-2011 and was appointed in May to finish former District 6 Councilman Bokhari’s term. He decided to run at-large rather than compete for the district seat that already had two Republican candidates in the running.
Peacock was the last Republican to win a citywide contest and is viewed as a centrist option that could appeal to unaffiliated voters or moderate Democrats.
Still, he was an underdog in a citywide election where only 17% of registered voters are Republican. He has run several unsuccessful city- and statewide campaigns since Democrat Beth Pickering ousted him from the council in 2011 by more than 5,000 votes.
“From start to finish, I feel like it’s the best campaign that I’ve run,” Peacock said at a joint watch party with Bokhari as votes rolled in. “I’ve received lots of affirmations from Democrats who tell me, ‘Hey, we want balance. We know you’re a constructive voice. We know you’re not MAGA crazy.’ And, again, I sort of sense that there’s a real response for a moderate in the market.”
As his defeat more clearly came into focus, Peacock likened the race to his high school basketball team showing up to compete against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Former Charlotte Mayor and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who joined Peacock and Bokhari at their event, said Abraham Lincoln himself could not win a Charlotte election as a Republican.
Misun Kim, the other at-large Republican candidate, captured 8% of the vote. She didn’t accept campaign contributions and lacked the broad support of her opponents.
Dante Anderson of District 1, Malcolm Graham of District 2, Renee Perkins-Johnson of District 4, J.D. Mazuera Arias of District 5 and Ed Driggs of District 7 are unopposed in their districts.
Mayo holds comfortable lead in District 3
Joi Mayo, a Democrat, won in west Charlotte’s District 3. She had 73.5% of votes while Republican James Bowers had 16.3%, and unaffiliated candidate Robin Emmons had 10.1%.
District 3 has long been a solidly Democratic area. Mayo’s steepest competition came in the primary, where she faced multiple candidates, including incumbent Tiawana Brown and former Councilman Warren Turner.
Mayo won the primary with ease despite the big names, capturing about twice as many votes as Brown, who was indicted this spring on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud used to falsely obtain pandemic relief loans.
Mayo is a community activist and nonprofit leader whose organization Transforming Nations Ford focuses on improving the Nations Ford and Arrowood corridor. She secured a number of key endorsements this year, including The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, LGBTQ+ Democrats of Mecklenburg County and The Charlotte Observer editorial board.
Bowers is semi-retired and works in the insurance sales industry. He’s run for District 3 twice before and lost in a landslide both times.
Emmons is a former nonprofit leader and first-time candidate who left party politics decades ago. She faced a steep uphill climb as an unaffiliated candidate and had to first secure enough signatures to qualify for the ballot before she could collect donations or participate in candidate forums.
Observer reporters Desiree Mathurin and Ryan Oehrli contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 8:58 PM.
