How these 3 Democrats are planning to beat Tricia Cotham in 2024 NC legislature election
READ MORE
2024 Voter Guide
Election season is here and 2024 is gearing up to be a busy one in North Carolina. Make sure you’re up to date on the latest candidates, their platforms and more with The Charlotte Observer’s voter guide.
Expand All
A trio of Democrats are vying to be their party’s nominee in one of the Charlotte area’s most closely watched 2024 races.
Yolonda Holmes, Nicole Sidman and Terry Lansdell will all be on the ballot in March as Democrats in state House District 105, which covers parts of southeastern Mecklenburg County. The winner will face Republican Tricia Cotham in November.
All three have political experience, and they all believe they’re Democrats’ best shot to unseat Cotham, who upended North Carolina’s political landscape when she switched parties last year and gave Republican legislators a veto-proof majority.
“We knew before any candidates filed that that was going to be one of the more interesting races to watch in the general, but also on the Democratic side in the primary,” said Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University.
Although the newly redrawn District 105 is now more conservative-leaning, other factors could still make it a winnable seat for whomever emerges victorious from the Democratic primary, multiple experts told The Charlotte Observer.
Who’s running to face Tricia Cotham?
One of the three Democratic primary candidates is no stranger to running against Cotham. Holmes competed with her in 2022, when both were looking to secure the Democratic nomination for House District 112. Although Cotham won the nomination, Holmes told the Observer the race was the political accomplishment she’s most proud of.
“With the odds seemingly stacked against me, I did very well for a first-time candidate,” she said.
In addition to her 2022 run, Holmes has been involved with the Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County, the Mecklenburg County Criminal Justice Engagement Task Group and the American Cancer Society’s Charlotte-area board.
She has a doctorate in public safety and criminal justice and is a family and community engagement specialist
Fellow candidate Sidman hasn’t run for office before, but she served as campaign manager for Christy Clark during Clark’s successful 2018 run for a seat in Raleigh. Clark is now the Huntersville mayor.
Sidman now serves as director of congregational life for Temple Beth El in Charlotte. A former teacher and lawyer, she’s also worked with the New York Civil Liberties Union, an affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency.
Lansdell also has a background in local politics. He’s worked for years advocating for equitable and environmentally friendly transportation as executive director of BikeWalkNC. He’s also a member of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission.
Where do District 105 primary candidates stand on the issues?
Asked about the biggest issues facing District 105, Holmes said she’s concerned about “restrictions and bans imposed on healthcare access and freedom” as well as “the need for pay equity and investment in our public schools.”
If elected, Holmes said, her “first action” would be to “review current legislation and identify areas of collaborative opportunity” and “gaps or inequities that exist.”
“With a better understanding, I would begin formulating a plan of action to address the issues or concerns of the constituents,” she said.
Sidman also brought up funding for schools as a key issue for the district, saying the Charlotte area is facing “a struggling school system due to underfunding” and that she opposes the Opportunity Scholarship program, “which subsidizes private schools for the wealthy with our tax money.”
The General Assembly tripled funding for the Opportunity Scholarship program in its budget in September and ended income restrictions for private school vouchers, the News & Observer reported previously.
“I will also advocate for an increase in teacher pay and school staff and counselors so we can attract and retain the best teachers by providing a fair salary for what, I know from experience, is truly one of the hardest jobs around,” she said. “Vouchers are not just about funding the wealthy; they are part of a nationwide Republican playbook to resegregate our schools.”
Sidman also said she’s concerned about the lack of affordable housing in the district, threats to reproductive health care access, a lack of investment in infrastructure and a lack of “accountability and trust” in Raleigh.
Lansdell said the biggest issues facing the district in his view are “transportation laws and funding priorities” in Mecklenburg County. He added those issues are tied to “land use, affordable housing, economic viability and the environment.”
Who is the best position to take on Tricia Cotham in the fall?
In addition to laying out their platforms for voters, all three Democrats are also trying to make the case as to why they’re the strongest candidate to take on Cotham in the general election — and win in a Republican-leaning district.
Holmes cited her experience facing Cotham before and said she’s confident her ideas will have mass appeal.
“My platform is reasonable and resonates with constituents throughout the community, and my message is clear,” she said. “Your choice ultimately becomes your voice, and in the last election, the familiar choice left constituents without a voice or representation. Instead, the constituents, myself included, gained what we voted against. I stand on principle.”
Sidman said she believes her mix of experiences gives her “an understanding of the issues and the complexity around what it takes to legislate.”
“Frankly, we should all be tired of a small band of legislative leaders dictating our freedoms and taking them away for their own personal power,” she said. “I am in the strongest position to defeat Tricia Cotham because I have the conviction of a lifetime of passion for the issues that are important to my district — education, democracy, economic prosperity, bodily autonomy — combined with legal and advocacy experience that will guide me in addressing these matters in a thoughtful and pragmatic way.”
Lansdell said his biggest strength in a fight against Cotham is that he understands “the Cotham betrayal did not start last year” when she formally switched parties.
“She has been an opponent of the Democratic Party for some time in her lack of involvement in transportation issues, the approval of Republican rivals into key governmental roles, the lack of effort to protect North Carolina’s environment as well as the complete betrayal of medical choice for women in North Carolina,” he said. “All hallmarks of failure to represent and serve this community.”
Who will win?
It’s “particularly hard in the primary” to predict which candidate will indeed appeal the most to voters, Cooper said.
“The tea leaves tend to be wilted and hard to read in primaries,” he said.
Democratic strategist Dan McCorkle said that while the district may be Republican-leaning on paper, he still thinks his party’s eventual nominee could have a chance in November.
“It’s still a competitive district because you’re gonna find very few areas in Mecklenburg County that are going to be totally favorable to a Republican,” he said.
“The right candidate,” he said, will need to be well-funded and “willing to take it to” Cotham.
Republican strategist Larry Shaheen said he also thinks the general election could be more competitive than some have suggested. That has less to do with who wins the Democratic nomination than other factors.
“Once you’ve gotten that far down the ballot, people are voting ‘R’ or ‘D’,” he said.
In a presidential election year, he explained, that means a likely rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden could affect the race.
“If I was Tricia Cotham, I would have been begging for anyone but Donald Trump, because I think none of the Democratic candidates are going to do as much damage to her as Trump at the top of the ticket,” he said.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
