Molina defeat holds after recount in Charlotte City Council District 5 primary
The results of a Charlotte City Council race that ousted a current council member remained largely unchanged by a Tuesday recount.
The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections on Tuesday completed its recount in the east Charlotte Democratic primary for District 5 — affirming newcomer J.D. Mazuera Arias’s victory over incumbent Marjorie Molina.
The margin after the recount was 34 votes out of just over 6,000 ballots cast, 50.28% for Mazuera Arias to 49.72% for Molina. He led by 37 votes on election night, a margin that shrunk to 33 votes after the board ruled on provisional ballots. Molina’s vote total dropped by one after the recount.
Molina declined to speak with an Observer reporter after the recount results were announced.
Board spokeswoman Kristin Mavromatis said Wednesday neither Molina nor her campaign requested a hand recount within the 24-hour window after Tuesday’s recount to file.
Molina was first elected in 2022 and seeking a third term on the City Council.
Mazuera Arias was a first-time candidate but entered the race with political experience working for New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic National Committee and The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank. He also chairs the Hispanic Democratic Caucus of Mecklenburg County.
Molina requested a recount after the election and said on social media she wanted “to ensure every single vote is honored.”
Mazuera Arias is unopposed in the November general election.
He’ll be one of at least three new faces on City Council come December. Incumbent Tiawana Brown lost her Democratic primary in west Charlotte’s District 3, and Republican Krista Bokhari won a GOP primary to face Democrat Kimberly Owens in November for the open District 6 seat in south Charlotte.
This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 3:16 PM.
