Embattled Rep. Carla Cunningham falls to Rodney Sadler in Charlotte primary
Charlotte state Rep. Carla Cunningham lost a monthslong battle to keep her seat in Raleigh after igniting controversy with a headline-making speech on immigration.
Cunningham bucked her party over the summer to side with House Republicans on an override of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s veto. With her vote, Cunningham helped Republicans pass a bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate more with federal immigration authorities.
The seven-term Democrat quickly picked up two challengers, Rodney Sadler and Vermanno Bowman, in north Charlotte’s House District 106. Sadler garnered institutional and financial support that paid off Tuesday night.
With early votes and all 11 precincts reporting, Sadler received 69.9% of the vote, followed by Cunningham with 21.8% and Bowman with 8.3%. Sadler will be unopposed in the general election as no Republican, unaffiliated or third-party candidates filed to run in the district.
Sadler did not immediately respond to a request for comment from an Observer reporter, but he took to social media at about 11:30 p.m. to thank voters.
“Tonight marks a turning point in NC. Voters in HD106 chose a future where working families thrive. For 15 years, extremists in Raleigh froze wages at $7.25, slashed taxes, and empowered Duke Energy. Tonight, North Charlotte said: enough is enough,” Sadler wrote on X.
North Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton reposted Sadler’s comments, calling his win a “resounding victory.”
“We look forward to having someone in Raleigh who truly represents the people!” she wrote.
Trailing from the first drop of election results Tuesday night, Cunningham ended her election night event at The Art Factory in the University area shortly after 9 p.m. with optimism about her chances of victory. But she failed to make any significant dent in Sadler’s lead throughout the night.
Cunningham did not immediately respond to a request from the Observer for further comments.
She wasn’t the only Mecklenburg Democrat in a similar position to lose Tuesday. Fellow north Charlotte state House Rep. Nasif Majeed, who helped override a separate Stein veto, fell to fellow Democrat Veleria Levy.
Besides her veto override vote, backlash against Cunningham involved inflammatory comments about immigrants in a floor speech explaining her vote on an immigration bill, comments she’s since apologized for.
In January, Cunningham also joined a petition to remove Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden from office, alleging he threatened her in the lead-up to her veto override vote.
She’d faced little primary opposition in her past reelection campaigns and easily fended off the few challengers who’ve run against her previously, including Bowman in 2024.
But Sadler captured attention and momentum. He got the endorsement of Stein and the influential Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. And his campaign raised more than $130,000 in January and early February, according to campaign finance reports.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 8:41 PM.
