Overcoming scandal, Garry McFadden beats challengers in Mecklenburg sheriff’s race
Sheriff Garry McFadden overcame a litany of scandals and a criminal investigation on Tuesday night, fending off challengers in the race for sheriff, according to unofficial election results.
A majority of voters in the Democratic primary picked someone other than McFadden — but the challengers split up the vote and McFadden carried the day, advancing to the general election in November where he faces no Republican challenger.
He got about 34% of the vote in the primary, according to unofficial results posted by the N.C. State Board of Elections.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Sgt. Ricky Robbins took about 31% of the vote, former Chief Deputy Rodney Collins 27% and former Detention Officer Antwain Nance 8%.
Robbins followed McFadden closely as results poured in Tuesday night, always just a few points away from the sheriff’s lead. Around 9 p.m., the CMPD sergeant felt optimistic, he told The Charlotte Observer at an election party in SouthPark.
“(This) is what we expected in the early numbers,” Robbins said earlier in the evening. “He’s got a little lead but we expect to turn the tables and get the lead.”
But shortly after 11 p.m., Robbins conceded. He thanked his supporters at his party and said he respects the results.
“I don’t have a problem with the way it ended,” Robbins said. “I’m not one of these sore people that’s going to go out smashing people’s names and bad-mouthing somebody because they win a race. You win and lose the same way.”
He said the four-person race split up too much of the vote for McFadden to lose.
McFadden’s scandalous tenure
McFadden, 66, was first elected in 2018.
Some former employees previously told The Charlotte Observer that, when they look at the sheriff, they see an unprofessional, rude bully; others see a leader who is simply blunt. Some in the city see a rare local official who will stand up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement; others see someone out of his lane, needlessly feuding with the federal government; some see hubris; others see confidence.
On Tuesday, the positive view of McFadden won out.
The sheriff made few policy arguments in his third run for office. Instead, he told voters that he alone had the experience and leadership to run the sheriff’s office. The sheriff had already done so through 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, he often said at debates.
He also won an endorsement from the influential Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Political Caucus.
Now, he faces challenges different from the ballot box. State Rep. Carla Cunningham, a fellow Democrat who lost her own bid for reelection on Tuesday, accused him of threatening her in a phone call. She and some of McFadden’s former employees filed a petition to remove him from office.
Even if the petition fails, claims in it are being looked into by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, which could lead to criminal charges.
McFadden could not be reached for comment on Tuesday evening.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 10:06 PM.