Marjorie Molina trails challenger by razor-thin margin in City Council race
Tuesday’s intense Charlotte City Council District 5 primary may be headed to a recount.
With all precincts reporting in the east Charlotte district, incumbent Marjorie Molina trailed challenger Juan Diego “J.D.” Mazuera Arias in a Democratic primary by 37 votes, a margin of 50.3% to 49.7%.
“From beginning to end, we built a campaign that was people-powered, rooted in honesty, integrity and a deep love for east Charlotte,” Mazuera Arias told The Charlotte Observer. “That’s what drove us through the finish line.”
Molina will request a recount, she said in an early Wednesday morning post on X. Trailing candidates can request a recount when they’re losing by less than 1% under North Carolina law.
“To the voters and supporters of East Charlotte, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude. This has been a hard-fought race, and your dedication has meant the world,” Molina said.
Mazuera Arias is a first-time candidate but has political experience working for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the Democratic National Committee and The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank. He also chairs the Hispanic Democratic Caucus of Mecklenburg County and touted early support from former Mayor Jennifer Roberts and state Rep. Jordan Lopez.
Molina, first elected in 2022, has taken to social media throughout the campaign to accuse Mazuera Arias’s camp of negative and misleading attacks.
They clashed at a candidate forum earlier in August over Molina’s support for public funding for Bank of America Stadium renovations and the transportation referendum on the November ballot, The Charlotte Ledger reported.
The pair split high-level endorsements, with Molina picking up the nod from the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Mazuera Arias getting support from the Service Employees International Union.
Mazuera Arias raised $10,169 in the weeks leading up to the primary, according to his campaign finance report. His campaign spent $2,011.76, leaving it with $20,985.43 remaining on hand. Molina’s pre-primary report wasn’t available through the county or state Board of Elections as of Tuesday afternoon.
The winner of the District 5 primary will be unopposed in the general election.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 8:27 PM.
