NC officials deny Senate candidate residency claim, opening door for a newcomer
North Carolina elections officials Monday rejected a residency appeal of a Charlotte candidate, leaving a political newcomer as the only Democrat in a Democratic-leaning state Senate district.
The State Board of Elections voted 4-1 to reject the appeal by Darrell Bonapart, upholding a decision by Mecklenburg County elections officials that he’s ineligible to run for the open District 39 seat.
Bonapart, a longtime east Charlotte activist and frequent local candidate, said he has moved to Steele Creek in southwest Charlotte. Last week the county elections board upheld a challenge to that claim by two Democratic Party precinct officials.
Bonapart was not immediately available for comment.
Monday’s decision leaves newcomer DeAndrea Salvador as the lone Democratic candidate in Senate District 39, where she will face Republican Joshua Niday in November.
Before last year’s court-ordered redrawing, the district had included Mint Hill and Matthews, both strong Republican areas. It was moved south and west to Pineville and Steele Creek. Once a safe GOP district, it’s now “likely” Democratic according to an analysis by Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer.
Salvador, 29, runs a nonprofit she founded called the Renewable Energy Transition Initiative. Its mission is to reduce energy costs for low-income families. Her efforts have garnered national attention.
In 2018 she was selected a TED Fellow and gave a TED talk on her work to help families lower their electric bills.
“This doesn’t change anything,” Salvador said of Monday’s vote. “We’re still planning on getting out in the community . . . and running the same campaign that we were always planning to run. I really look forward to sharing my vision with the voters.”
Board bumps GOP candidate
Last week the state board disqualified Republican Bill Brewster, who was running for Congress in the 12th District.
Officials disqualified Brewster for failing to pay his filing fee. In a letter, they told the Charlotte Republican that his check had been returned for “insufficient funds.”
Brewster could not be reached.
The board’s decision leaves incumbent U.S. Rep. Alma Adams with only one opponent: fellow Democrat Keith Cradle, director of youth and juvenile programs for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
The 12th District, which is entirely in Mecklenburg County, is heavily Democratic.
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 12:11 PM.
