New poll reveals Charlotte voter opinions of potential 2027 mayoral candidates
Many of the anticipated candidates for Charlotte mayor lack broad appeal, according to new polling released on Tuesday by a local labor union.
Voters reported they were largely unsure about the city’s leadership.
Mayor Vi Lyles announced Thursday that she will resign at the end of June and won’t seek reelection, bringing into focus the 2027 race that’s more than a year away. Polls conducted just weeks before her announcement asked voters how they felt about the mayor and several council members whose names are in the mix to succeed her.
The survey looked at Lyles, Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell, at-large City Council member Dimple Ajmera, District 1 City Council member Dante Anderson and District 2 City Council member Malcolm Graham. The Service Employees International Union 32BJ commissioned the poll, which was conducted by Public Policy Polling on April 17 and 18.
No leader received a majority of “favorable” reviews, the polling shows. Ajmera edged out the mayor with the highest favorability, 35% to 34%. Anderson polled the lowest, with just 12% favorability.
However, 42% also reported an “unfavorable” opinion of Lyles, the highest of any leader. The other four were nearly tied between 21% and 24% unfavorability.
Aside from the mayor, a high percentage of voters found themselves “not sure” about their feelings toward each prospective candidate. Anderson faced the greatest ambivalence with two-thirds of voters saying they were unsure of her, and more than half were undecided about Mitchell. A plurality were also unsure of Graham and Ajmera.
“It doesn’t surprise me. A lot of people don’t even know who their Congress person is,” said Jim Williams, polling analyst with Public Policy Polling, a North Carolina-based firm that specializes in left-leaning topics. “People just aren’t really plugged into local government that much unless something crazy is going on, unless there’s a scandal.”
Public Policy Polling contacted about 560 registered Charlotte voters by text and phone, including a mixture of genders, political parties, races and ages. The results captured voter sentiment less than three weeks before the mayor’s resignation decision. Lyles did not give a reason for stepping down beyond wanting to spend more time with her family.
Nobody has officially announced their intention to replace her yet. Victoria Watlington, another at-large council member who is thought to be a contender, was not included in the poll.
Ajmera, Graham lead among Democrats
Whoever runs for mayor in the group of top contenders would first battle each other in the Democratic primary, which is only open to registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters.
Excluding Lyles, Ajmera polled the best among the two groups, with about half of Democrats seeing her favorably and 28% of independents.
Only 11% of Democrats and 28% of independent voters viewed her unfavorably.
“Honestly, it’s really humbling to hear that we had such a positive net favorability rating, especially among Democratic-leaning voters,” Ajmera said in a written statement to The Charlotte Observer. “I’ve tried to stay grounded in listening to people and finding solutions for the everyday residents who make this city special.”
Graham polled next-best with 43% favorability among Democrats and 22% among independents, and with 14% of Democrats and 25% of independents viewing him unfavorably.
A sharp drop-off separates Mitchell, with a respective 31% of Democrats and 10% of independents viewing him favorably. And another sharp drop separates Anderson, with just 20% of Democrats viewing her favorably and 6% of independents. About 70% of both groups were not sure about her.
Now on her third term, Anderson is the newest council member out of the bunch and has only served at a district level.
Ajmera, Lyles and Mitchell have already won multiple citywide elections and served for about a decade or longer. Graham, the other district representative in the survey, was previously elected to the state legislature and has been involved in North Carolina politics since the ‘90s.
Anderson said she could not speak to the poll’s findings because she hadn’t seen them for herself and couldn’t confirm their validity.
“What I’m focused on now is doing the work for the people and the city in a time when we understand our current mayor is stepping down,” Anderson said.
Mitchell and Graham did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Voters want better wages for airport workers, poll shows
The survey also asked voters whether they supported living wages and paid time off for workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The union behind the poll, SEIU, has for years pushed Charlotte to demand better pay for airport workers during contract negotiations with airlines.
The city cannot set wages for private companies, WFAE previously reported. But the city could award contracts to companies that promise to increase pay and improve working conditions.
About three quarters of respondents said they supported better wages, and nearly 60% said they would be more likely to vote for a city leader who approved a plan requiring airlines to give better compensation to workers. Just under a quarter of respondents said it wouldn’t make a difference in who they vote for.
“That’s clear guidance and something that I would take under advisement if I was one of these officials,” said Williams, the polling analyst. “Knowing that the knowledge about me is limited, this is something that might be a good way to get a policy win, get on the sight side of voters.”
Last year, the City Council narrowly decided not to study a proposed ordinance from the SEIU that called for minimum wage standards for airport workers. Lyles cast the tie-breaking vote, joining Anderson and Graham in opposition. Ajmera voted with the minority in support of the proposal. Mitchell was absent.
“Charlotte’s leadership has a clear opportunity to set basic standards and require airlines to do their part,” Chris Baumann, the southern region director for SEIU, said in a news release sharing the poll results. “As a new Mayor gets appointed, voters are paying attention and expect their elected officials to act.”
