Cotham pushes back on NC Democrats’ outrage over party switch, defends abortion vote

Rep. Tricia Cotham dismissed Democrats’ criticisms of her historic party switch and maintained her support for abortion rights — despite voting for a 12-week ban — in a rare interview on Tuesday.

“I’m still the same person,” she told reporters on the House floor. “Unfortunately, the Democrats on the other side want to use my story as the narrative that they need to raise money.”

Cotham’s comments come on the same day Senate Democrats filed a bill targeting lawmakers who switch parties. The legislation, which will almost certainly not pass, would require a special election if a lawmaker changes parties and require them to refund all campaign contributions upon request.

Cotham implied the bill was a “stunt” for Democrats to keep fundraising off her defection.

Since her party switch in April, Cotham has rarely taken questions from reporters, and some of her constituents at the Democrats’ press conference said she was not responding to their messages.

“My system is overwhelmed,” Cotham said. “If someone did not get something, they’re more than welcome to send it again.”

Why Rep. Cotham voted for abortion ban

Confronted with her record on abortion, of which Cotham had historically been an outspoken supporter, she defended her “yes” vote on the legislature’s 12-week ban.

“With abortion, that’s never been an issue that I was always out there for at all,” she told The News & Observer. “I was not endorsed by any of those groups either.”

In August, Emily’s List, a national organization whose mission is to “elect Democratic pro-choice women to office,” endorsed Cotham’s 2022 campaign.

Cotham sought the endorsement of Planned Parenthood as well, according to a WRAL report, filling out a candidate questionnaire where she said she would “oppose any legislation that seeks to restrict abortion access.”

An NC Newsline reporter pointed out that Cotham had used the phrase “unwavering and unapologetic” to describe her support for abortion rights in a tweet just six months before her election.

“This is unwavering support,” she said. “This is very common and very well understood by many people that the first trimester — that’s when most abortions do occur — and it’s not a ban, it’s absolutely not a ban.”

Critics of the bill have pointed out that it institutes new requirements for medication abortions, increasing the number of in-person doctor’s appointments.

“It would be untenable for out-of-state patients to get a medication abortion in North Carolina,” said Dr. Jonas Swartz, a Duke OB-GYN, The News & Observer previously reported. “Most patients who are having abortions already have kids at home. They’re taking time off work, they’re traveling.”

This story was originally published June 6, 2023 at 3:26 PM.

Kyle Ingram

The News & Observer

Kyle Ingram is the Democracy Reporter for the News & Observer. He reports on voting rights, election administration, the state judicial branch and more. He is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill.