GOP’s Tricia Cotham narrowly beats million-dollar Democratic challenge in NC House race
Republican state Rep. Tricia Cotham fended off her Democratic challenger in her first reelection bid since her controversial party change, according to unofficial election night results. But she could face a recount.
Cotham, who gave Republicans a veto-proof supermajority in the state legislature and helped them pass new restrictions on abortion, faced Democrat Nicole Sidman. They ran in a redrawn North Carolina House District 105, which includes parts of Matthews, Mint Hill and south Charlotte.
With all 18 precincts reporting, Cotham beat Sidman by a margin of 50.26% to 49.74%.
Cotham’s flip angered many in the Democratic Party, who’ve poured money and institutional support into Sidman’s campaign. The first-time candidate raised and spent more than $1 million from July 1 through mid-October, according to her campaign finance report.
Sidman arrived about 8:30 p.m. to applause and cheers at her watch party at Legion Brewing in South Park. Around 100 attendees gathered to watch the outcome of the race Tuesday night. Sidman told The Charlotte Observer she felt optimistic going into the night.
By 10:45 p.m., her campaign ended its party with one precinct outstanding and indicated they’d likely call for a recount.
“Y’all all know I’m not a bs-er, and my non-bs answer is we don’t know,” said Anna Fiore, Sidman’s campaign manager. “We’re waiting on one precinct, and we will almost certainly be in the margin for a recount. If we are, we will almost certainly be calling for a recount.”
On Wednesday morning, Fiore told the Observer “we won’t know the results of the election for a few more days” because the campaign intends to wait on all ballots to be processed across the county.
Mecklenburg County Elections Director Michael Dickerson said there were about 4,100 absentee ballots and 4,000 to 5,000 provisional ballots outstanding in the county, but it wasn’t clear where in Mecklenburg they were from. The board will know more about the absentee ballots Thursday and go over the provisional ballots next Thursday, Dickerson said.
Cotham has kept a lower profile during the campaign, repeatedly not responding to requests for comments throughout the election cycle from the Observer and other media outlets. She did not respond to questions about her campaign’s election night plans or a request for comment about the results.
After midnight on Wednesday, Cotham posted on X claiming victory.
“With all precincts reporting, I am thrilled to have been re-elected to another term in the NC House,” Cotham said. “Thank you for all of your support, and I look forward to representing YOU for another term.”
Experts said before Election Day that women and unaffiliated voters would be key in determining the result.
It’s one of a slate of competitive North Carolina General Assembly races that were on the ballot Tuesday in the Charlotte region.
Here are the latest results in other Charlotte-area state House and Senate races. All results are unofficial until certified by election officials.
NC House District 98
With all 11 precincts reporting, Democrat Beth Gardner Helfrich beat Republican Melinda Bales by a margin of 52.13% to 47.87% in unofficial election night results.
Helfrich, a first-time candidate, squared off with Bales, the Republican former mayor of Huntersville, for the open seat in North Carolina House District 98, which covers parts of northern Mecklenburg County including Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson.
Helfrich said previously the biggest issues she’s heard about from constituents during the campaign are traffic, health care, costs, schools and reproductive rights. Bales listed her top priorities as workforce and economic development, education and infrastructure.
The district is historically close: outgoing Republican Rep. John Bradford won by just over 2,000 votes in 2020 and less than 1,000 votes in 2022.
Helfrich out-fundraised and outspent Bales in the final months of the campaign. The Democrat raised $1.1 million from July 1 through mid-October and spent $1.05 million to Bales’ $522,957.13 in fundraising and $574,608.18 in spending in the same period.
NC Senate District 42
A pair of political newcomers faced off in North Carolina Senate District 42, which includes parts of Mint Hill, Matthews and south Charlotte. With all 44 precincts reporting, Woodson Bradley led Stacie McGinn by a margin of 50.01% to 49.99%. It was only a 27-vote difference.
Bradley’s campaign said in a statement they anticipate a recount and will cooperate with the Mecklenburg County and state boards of elections.
“I am honored that the voters of Senate District 42 have chosen me to represent them in Raleigh,” Bradley said in the statement. We’ve run a campaign that focuses on the people of this district and the issues they care about. As your next state senator, I will bring this focus to Raleigh to tirelessly fight for the people of this district and to protect and strengthen our fundamental freedoms.”
McGinn, the Republican nominee, and Bradley, the Democrat, both raised and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the final quarter of the campaign.
McGinn previously served as general counsel for the Republican Party of Mecklenburg County and focused her platform on crime, the economy and education. Bradley, a Realtor, said previously rising cost of living is the biggest issue facing her constituents.
The race made headlines in October when McGinn accused Bradley of scamming consumers as part of an illegal pyramid scheme shut down by the Federal Trade Commission more than 10 years ago. Bradley was involved with Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, the Observer reported previously, but her campaign said McGinn’s accusations were false because she was not a party in the case by the FTC against FHTM and was just a contractor.
NC Senate District 37
With all 35 precincts reporting, incumbent state Sen. Vickie Sawyer beat Kate Compton Barr by a margin of 65% to 35% in unofficial election night results.
Sawyer, a Republican, was seeking a fourth term representing North Carolina Senate District 37, which includes Iredell County and northern Mecklenburg County.
Her Democratic challenger, Barr, drew national attention with her campaign message that she “can’t win” in the district due to gerrymandering.
NC House District 104
With all 27 precincts reporting, state Rep. Brandon Lofton beat Krista Bokhari by a margin of 55.89% to 44.11% in unofficial election night results.
The incumbent Democrat Lofton is running in North Carolina House District 104, which includes the Quail Hollow, Beverly Woods, Ole Providence, Woodbridge, Myers Park, Cotswold and Oakhurst neighborhoods.
Bokhari has never run for elected office before but is the wife of Charlotte City Council member Tariq Bokhari. Lofton is seeking a fourth term in Raleigh.
NC House District 73
With all 20 precincts reporting, Republican challenger Jonathan Almond beat incumbent Democratic state Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams by a margin of 53.35% to 46.65% in unofficial election night results.
North Carolina House District 73 includes Concord and parts of northeastern Cabarrus County.
Staton-Williams, a nurse by trade, was first elected to the legislature in 2022. Her first race was one of the closest in the state that election cycle. Her district has since been redrawn and now typically votes 53% Republican and 44.6% Democratic, according to Dave’s Redistricting.
Almond works for a restaurant group. His campaign priorities include limiting government, the Second Amendment, lowering taxes and border security, according to his website.
Charlotte Observer reporter Nora O’Neill contributed past reporting to this story.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 9:33 PM with the headline "GOP’s Tricia Cotham narrowly beats million-dollar Democratic challenge in NC House race."
