Charlotte will pick a mayor in 2025. Who could run for office if Lyles retires?
Will Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles win another term in a landslide, or will a new slate of candidates battle to lead the Queen City next year?
It’s still unclear as the start of 2025 — when Charlotteans will vote in the next municipal election — looms.
The four-term Democrat coasted to reelection in 2023, winning the general election with 73.6% of the vote after defeating a primary challenger with 85.4% of the vote. Lyles, 71, hasn’t faced a serious primary fight since 2017, when she defeated incumbent Mayor Jennifer Roberts.
But after waiting until just days before candidate filing began in 2023 to announce her intentions, she has remained mum publicly about whether she’ll run again in 2025. That’s sparked private speculation this could be her last term in office, opening the door for a crowded field of candidates.
The official candidate filing window won’t open until July, ahead of September primaries.
Potential Democratic Charlotte mayor candidates
Charlotte’s Democrat-dominated City Council could produce multiple candidates if there’s an open primary for mayor. Nearly all of Charlotte’s elected mayors in the previous several decades had City Council experience.
In her fourth term as an at-large council member after previously representing Council District 5, Dimple Ajmera was the top vote-getter in the 2022 and 2023 Democratic primaries.
She’s also got a healthy total of campaign money to start with, reporting $142,574.81 in cash on hand in her most recent campaign finance report in July.
As chairman of the council’s economic development committee, District 2 Council member Malcolm Graham spearheaded the ultimately unsuccessful effort to bring the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament to Charlotte and has been in the spotlight during debates over the Eastland Yards project and public funding for Bank of America Stadium.
His resume also includes a 10-year run as a state senator representing Mecklenburg County.
Fellow district representative Danté Anderson grew her profile this year after defeating at-large Council member Victoria Watlington in an internal contest for mayor pro tem. Watlington was the top vote-getter among council candidates in the 2023 general election, her first run to represent all of Charlotte after previously representing District 3. The top vote-getter sometimes gets the title of mayor pro tem, but Anderson was chosen by a 7-4 council vote after an uncharacteristically heated debate over the largely ceremonial position.
Former Council member Braxton Winston, who gave up his seat to run for state labor commissioner, could also try to return to the City Council dais after losing his statewide race. Winston served as mayor pro tem in 2022 and 2023.
County Commissioner Leigh Altman rose to prominence in the last two years in her capacity as chair of the Metropolitan Transit Commission. Fellow Commissioner Mark Jerrell is also well-respected among local Democrats. But with both just ascending to leadership positions on the commission, it’s unclear whether either would give up their current seats.
What about Republicans?
Democrats have dominated local politics in Charlotte in recent years. If Lyles doesn’t run, the GOP could look to mount a challenger for mayor who could appeal to their base as well as unaffiliated voters, now the largest voting bloc in Mecklenburg.
City Council members Tariq Bokhari and Ed Driggs would be obvious options, as the only Republicans who currently hold municipal offices in Charlotte.
Bokhari is known for his outspoken nature and fended off a well-funded Democratic challenger in the last two races for his increasingly purple district. Driggs leads the council’s transportation committee, putting him at the forefront of oversight over the Charlotte Area Transit System and the ongoing debate over a massive expansion of the region’s transportation network.
But they’d have to be comfortable with giving up their current council seats to run for higher office.
Charlotte’s last Republican mayor, Pat McCrory, remains involved in politics. Still, after a term as governor and unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate, his focus has largely been on national politics.
Could an ‘outsider’ run for Charlotte mayor?
In addition to current and former elected officials, is it possible a a political “outsider” could jump in an open race for mayor?
For decades in Charlotte, it wasn’t uncommon for leaders in the business community to seek office themselves. Former Mayor John Belk helped lead his family’s department store chain in addition to serving as mayor from 1969 to 1977. His predecessor, Stan Brookshire, was also a president of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.
An open race in 2025 could mark an opportunity to return to that trend.
Insiders and observers who spoke to The Charlotte Observer say there could be an appetite for a candidate from the business community, but no specific candidates appear to be work-shopping a campaign yet.
