Jan. 23, 2024

Two would-be Mecklenburg representatives to the N.C. General Assembly told Forum participants this morning about some of their background and their precinct-level involvement in the Democratic Party. They were asked about working with the Republican majority that regularly will not even allow Democrats to speak on the House floor. They were asked about how they could be held accountable for promises made and positions taken.

And the shadow of what some Democrats see as Tricia Cotham’s treachery occupied a back-row seat in the room.

Cotham, elected as a Democrat in 2022, switched parties five months later, giving Republicans a supermajority in the House and therefore the power, along with the already Republican-majority Senate, to override any veto by Dem0cratic Gov. Roy Cooper. As a Democrat, Cotham voted for abortion rights legislation. As a Republican, she cast the deciding vote to restrict abortion access.

Presenters this morning were Dr. Yolanda Holmes, a Charleston native, pastor and CMS staff member; and Nicole Sidman, a University of Michigan lawyer, community organizer and social justice outreach coordinator for Temple Beth El who grew up in Winston-Salem. Neither has held public office. The third Democratic primary candidate on the March 5 District 105 ballot, Terry Lansdell, did not attend.