These 4 NC legislature primaries could be the Charlotte area’s most competitive

North Carolina’s 2024 primary elections are coming up, with multiple high-profile races for the state legislature in the Charlotte area.

In a year when “there’s not that many interesting primaries” statewide, “the lion’s share” of the most compelling races are in districts in and around Mecklenburg County, according to Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper.

“It’s hard to get even one candidate from both parties to run, much less multiple candidates from the same party,” he said. “So the Charlotte area tends to have some of the more interesting races, meaning really some of the only competitive ones in the state,” he said.

From crowded fields to heated campaigns, political experts say there’s plenty to come before voters head to the polls on March 5. Here are four of the most interesting primaries to watch:

House District 105: The fight to face Cotham

In southeast Mecklenburg County, three Democrats are vying for the chance to take on incumbent Tricia Cotham in the new state House District 105.

Cotham, who made headlines when she gave Republicans a veto-proof supermajority in Raleigh by switching parties in April, is running in a newly drawn, conservative-leaning 105.

One of her challengers is a familiar name: Yolonda Holmes, who ran against Cotham for the Democratic nomination for her old district in 2022.

Nicole Sidman, a lawyer who now works for Temple Beth El, and Terry Lansdell, a longtime community advocate for transit, round out the Democratic field.

“The right candidate,” Democratic strategist Dan McCorkle said, will need to be well-funded and “willing to take it to” Cotham.

And, he added, that candidate will have to campaign hard in the primary to get their chance in November.

“It’s gonna be a very competitive primary,” he said. There’s lots of angles.”

While the district leans Republican — the newly drawn district keeps Mint Hill but stretches farther into southeastern Mecklenburg County, which leans more Republican, the News & Observer reported previously — McCorkle thinks his party’s nominee could have a chance in November.

“It’s still a competitive district because you’re gonna find very few areas in Mecklenburg County that are going to be totally favorable to a Republican,” he said.

Senate District 41: Crowded field to succeed Natasha Marcus

Four Democrats are running for the chance to succeed outgoing Democratic Sen. Natasha Marcus in northern Mecklenburg. A three-term incumbent, Marcus is forgoing another term in her current position to run for state commissioner of insurance after she said she was drawn out of the district during redistricting.

“Anytime you have an incumbent stepping away from a seat that is leaning this heavily towards one party, you’re gonna see a competitive primary. That’s exactly what we’ve got going on here,” Cooper said of the primary race this cycle.

Among the candidates is Caleb Theodros, former chair of the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and a past candidate for Charlotte City Council District 3. If elected, Theodros said he would focus on economic development and mental health.

Lucille Puckett is another experienced candidate, having previously run for Charlotte mayor and the state legislature. She also has leadership experience with the Charlotte Housing Authority Board and NAACP, among other civic groups, and said she would prioritize addressing “senseless gun violence, low-income housing and economic mobility” if elected.

And fellow candidate Kendrick Cunningham previously ran for Charlotte City Council District 2 and has an extensive background in political and community organizing with the Democratic Party and other groups. Cunningham said he thinks the district’s most pressing issues are a “lack of diverse housing options available at multiple different price points,” crime rates and the state of public schools.

The fourth candidate in the district is Robert Bruns, a political newcomer and retired credit union CEO. Bruns said he’s focused on preserving access to abortion, “competitive pay” for teachers and police and improving roads in Charlotte.

McCorkle said the fact that multiple candidates have political experience and name recognition could make for a tight race.

“That’s gonna be fascinating … It’s gonna be a hardball contest,” he said.

The winning candidate will need to get a fundraising edge and endorsements from influential local groups, McCorkle added.

House Districts 82 and 83: Republican fights in Cabarrus

On the Republican side, primaries in House District 82, in Cabarrus County, and House District 83, in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, could get interesting.

In District 82, Brian Echevarria and incumbent Kevin Crutchfield face off.

GOP strategist Larry Shaheen said Echevarria could face hurdles because of how he handled his previous run for state House office, when he lost to Democrat Diamond Staton-Williams. His 2022 campaign made headlines when he was tied to a Facebook page called Spank That Tail, which posted memes about spanking children who, among other things, were caught “twerking” and not going to church. Echevarria took credit for the page but said it was a joke, the Observer reported at the time.

A financial advisor, Echevarria directed the Observer to his campaign website when asked about his top issues in his 2024 candidate survey. The website says his campaign is focused on “securing North Carolina’s future with conservative values,” promoting “faith, family, and freedoms” and fighting government corruption. He is a past chairman of the Cabarrus County Republican Party.

Elected in 2022, Crutchfield is the CFO and founder of CASCO Signs. He said the top issues facing the district include small business support, health care costs, fighting human trafficking, opposing abortion and “protecting women in sports.”

In District 83, Grant Campbell and Brad Jenkins are competing for the Republican nomination.

Although Jenkins has run for office in the district before, Shaheen said he thinks Campbell’s background as a veteran and doctor makes him a strong candidate.

Campbell said his top priorities if elected would include lowering taxes, expanding vocational training, increasing access to health care in rural communities and providing resources to law enforcement and prosecutors.

Jenkins is a Baptist pastor and served as chair of the Rowan Republican Party. He told the Observer “Intentionally planning for the continued growth of our area” and working collaboratively with local governments “to ensure they have what is needed” would be top priorities if elected.

Both are “seats that have moved more towards the Republican party thanks to redistricting,” Cooper said, which could make the GOP primaries “extremely interesting.”