Charlotte Observer endorsements: Our choices in U.S. House primaries

The new congressional map that North Carolina Republicans passed last year didn’t yield any major changes for Mecklenburg County. The county continues to be split across three districts, and all three have a contested primary on at least one side of the aisle.

Here are our recommendations in those races:

District 8

This district groups southeastern Mecklenburg County with a handful of other counties to the east. The incumbent is U.S. Rep. Mark Harris, who just completed his first term in office and does not have a primary opponent this year.

Three Democrats will appear on the ballot in this primary, but voters have only one legitimate choice. One of the candidates, Jesse Oppenheim, suspended his campaign earlier this year but remains on the ballot. Another candidate, Kevin Clark, does not seem to be running a viable campaign, and his website has not been updated since 2024, when he ran for a state legislative seat.

That leaves Colby Watson, a Union County business owner who has never run for political office. Watson is clearly dedicated — he spent a week walking 150 miles across the district last October. Watson did not respond to an interview request from the Editorial Board, but he clearly has the strongest campaign. We recommend Watson.

District 12

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, a Democrat, seeks reelection in this district that encompasses most of central Mecklenburg County. She’s challenged by high school teacher Monaca Maye Williamson. Adams continues to be a capable and communicative representative for her district, and voters can feel confident electing her to another term. We recommend Adams.

On the Republican side, Addul Ali is following up his 2024 campaign with another congressional run. His opponent, Jack Codiga, wants to eliminate income and property taxes entirely and abolish all welfare programs, including Social Security. Those extreme and unrealistic views are a poor fit for this district.

We recommend Ali, who offers a more thoughtful and pragmatic policy approach.

District 14

Three candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination in this district, which carves out northern and southwestern parts of the county before spreading west. Two of them are particularly strong: Brent Caldwell, an attorney and editor of a progressive political blog, and LaKesha Womack, a minister and consultant with strong ties to her community.

Both Caldwell and Womack have a sophisticated grasp of issues facing their community and offer a clear vision to address them. Voters can’t go wrong with either choice here. But Caldwell is well-versed in political campaigns, and he holds an advantage in fundraising and grassroots organizing that will give Democrats the best chance to win in this district. We recommend Caldwell.

In the Republican primary, incumbent Tim Moore is challenged by Kate Barr, a Democrat who changed her party affiliation for this race as a means of protesting gerrymandering. While we understand the intent, we can’t endorse the tactic. Whether intentional or not, it deceives less-informed voters who are used to taking a candidate’s party affiliation at face value. That leaves voters with one true Republican in this race, which is Moore.

This story was originally published February 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM.