Who might Charlotte elect as its next mayor in 2027? Our early power rankings | Opinion
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles has announced she’s stepping down next month, less than halfway through her fifth term in office.
Now, a new era of Charlotte politics is on the horizon. For the first time in a decade, Charlotte voters will elect a brand-new mayor next year. Lyles said in her statement that leaving early gives voters “more time to learn about their candidates.” That’s an understatement, since candidate filing for the 2027 municipal elections isn’t until next July. Yes, that’s 14 whole months from now, but the unofficial campaign cycle will begin well before that, so buckle up. Next year’s Democratic primary will be a free-for-all, and likely a crowded one. It was already expected that this would be Lyles’ final term, and plenty of hopeful successors have been waiting in the wings.
Here’s a way-too-early power ranking of who might have the best shot to be Charlotte’s 61st mayor. (Lyles is the 59th mayor, and whoever City Council appoints in the interim will be the 60th.)
A very important caveat: No candidates have officially announced interest in the job, and some or all of the people on this list may ultimately choose not to run. This list should also not be taken as any kind of endorsement. It’s not a list of who should be the next mayor — it’s merely an accounting of who might be most likely to win.
- Dimple Ajmera (D): Don’t underestimate Dimple Ajmera. Of all the council members who could run for mayor, Ajmera might have the strongest case. For one, she obviously can win a citywide election, having been elected as an at-large council member five times. In the last two elections, she’s been the top vote-getter in the Democratic primary, and she was the top vote-getter in the general election last year, as well. She also has a significant advantage in fundraising, with more than $180,000 on hand at the end of 2025.
- Malcolm Graham (D): Many people already think Graham wants to be mayor, and he said on a recent episode of Tariq Bokhari and Larken Egleston’s podcast that “there’s an interest there” because he thinks he’d be good at the job. As a district representative, he hasn’t stood the test of a citywide election, but he’s been positioning himself for a mayoral run, and he has had a long career in elected office.
- Victoria Watlington (D): Watlington also has experience winning citywide elections, and while she doesn’t get as many votes in Democratic primaries, she’s the only one who comes close to Ajmera in general elections. In 2023, she edged out Ajmera by just over 200 votes. If she can make it through the primary, she has broad appeal.
- Whoever is appointed after Lyles (D): It’s the council’s job to fill the vacancy left by Lyles. Since so many council members are eyeing a run for mayor, it seems unlikely they’d appoint someone who’ll compete with them for the job next year. After all, they can hardly agree on choosing a mayor pro tem. But whoever succeeds Lyles may have a slight incumbency advantage if they did choose to run.
- Mark Jerrell (D): The chair of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners probably has his sights set higher than city government, but he’s a sharp and talented politician who would be a strong candidate for mayor or whatever office he may choose to seek.
- An “Outsider” (D): There’s a deep field of current elected officials who are primed for a mayoral run, but Charlotte’s sphere of influencers and power brokers isn’t limited to those currently in office. Former Mayor Anthony Foxx, who stepped down to be President Obama’s transportation secretary, is back in town. Former council member David Howard, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2015, has a big new role as head of the new Mecklenburg transit authority. Neither has given any indication that they’d like to be mayor, though. Or maybe one of the city’s business leaders will step up.
- Dante Anderson (D): Anderson was the mayor pro tem from 2023 to 2025 but wasn’t reappointed after last year’s election. She’s a close ally of Lyles, and Lyles has helped her gain experience as a leader on council. She sparked speculation of a mayoral run with a cryptic social media post earlier this year, though she said that was unintentional. She’s relatively new to public office, though, and is a district representative, so she may not have as much name recognition as others.
- Leigh Altman (D): The vice chair of the county commission could also make a case for mayor — she was the top vote-getter in March’s at-large primary. But she’s hit her stride in that role, and she seems happy where she is for now.
- The Chosen Republican (R): Even if Republicans field a strong candidate for mayor next year, their chances of winning a citywide election in Charlotte are lower than ever. Will Edwin Peacock run again? Will Ed Driggs step up? Could Tariq Bokhari make a comeback? Who knows, but unless the political environment dramatically changes, any Republican would be a long shot.
Deputy Opinion Editor Paige Masten is covering politics and the 2026 elections for The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer.
