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Mecklenburg County Democratic Party

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Mecklenburg County Democratic Party
ChairpersonDrew Kromer
MayorVi Lyles
BOCC ChairGeorge Dunlap
Headquarters725 East Trade Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Membership (2024)Increase322,505[1]
IdeologyCentrism
Modern liberalism
Progressivism
Political positionCenter to center-left
National affiliationDemocratic Party
ColorsBlue
Local seats in the North Carolina Senate
5 / 5
Local seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives
11 / 13
County Commission
9 / 9
Charlotte City Council
9 / 11
Huntersville Town Board
7 / 7
Website
www.meckdems.org

The Mecklenburg County Democratic Party (Meck Dems) is the largest Democratic Party in North Carolina with 322,505 registered Democrats.[2] Meck Dems is the Mecklenburg affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Court Arcade, located in Charlotte.

Mecklenburg is the key to Democrats winning at the state and federal levels.[3] Despite winning a number of local races, Mecklenburg's turnout levels have lagged behind the statewide average, hindering Democratic chances at winning statewide elections. In 2022, Mecklenburg's Democratic turnout was 45% compared to a statewide average of 51% and Wake County’s 58% turnout.[4]

The Party controls all nine seats on the Mecklenburg County Commission and nine of the eleven seats on the Charlotte City Council, as well as the Charlotte mayoral seat.

Leadership

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The county party chair is Drew Kromer, who was elected in 2023.[5][6][7] The Chair leads the County Executive Committee (the "CEC"), a body of more than 350 Democratic Party leaders and activists from across the county, which governs the Party.

The Executive Director is Julia Buckner.[8]

Recent Electoral Results

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2024

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On April 4, 2024, Vice President Harris visited the Meck Dems Party HQ to officially announce the opening of the first campaign field office in North Carolina.[9] Mecklenburg County is emerging as the key county for Democratic chances of flipping the state blue in 2024.[10][11]

2023

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On April 5, 2023, Mecklenburg state legislator Tricia Cotham announced that she had left the Democratic Party and joined the Republican Party. Cotham's move gave House Republicans a veto-proof majority that allowed them to pass legislation without negotiating with North Carolina's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper. Cotham stated that fellow Democrats had criticized her on Twitter, called her names, and had been "coming after [her] family, coming after [her] children".[12]

Mecklenburg Democrats scored multiple victories in the 2023 general elections, including successfully flipping the entire Huntersville Town Board from red to blue and replacing incumbent mayor Melinda Bales with Christy Clark[13][14][15] following a heated campaign.[16] In addition, all three At-Large School Board candidates backed by Meck Dems[17] in the non-partisan race were elected.[18][19]

References

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  1. ^ "Voter Registration Statistics". North Carolina State Board of Election. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  2. ^ "Voter Registration Statistics". North Carolina State Board of Election. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  3. ^ Harrison, Steve (2022-12-21). "For U.S. Senate race, Mecklenburg turnout was one of state's lowest. Who is to blame?". WFAE. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  4. ^ Jacobson, Louis (2023-08-31). "Uniquely Competitive North Carolina Emerges as Key 2024 Battleground". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  5. ^ Chemtob, Danielle (2023-03-06). "Young people want to reenergize Mecklenburg County Democrats". Axios. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  6. ^ Bergeron, Josh (2023-04-28). "Drew Kromer wants to 'severely cripple' GOP's chances in NC. Here's how he'll do it". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  7. ^ Pitkin, Ryan (2023-04-27). "Nooze Hounds: Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Drew Kromer". Queen City Nerve. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  8. ^ "MCDP Officers". Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  9. ^ Harrison, Steve (2024-04-03). "Kamala Harris visit to Charlotte shows Biden campaign's focus on boosting turnout in Mecklenburg". WFAE. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  10. ^ Ramsey, Mary (2024-04-10). "NC hasn't picked a Democratic president in 16 years. Is Mecklenburg County the key?". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  11. ^ Bruno, Joe (2024-04-04). "Biden-Harris Campaign Investing in North Carolina". WSOC.
  12. ^ Kelly, Kate (2023-07-30). "Inside the Party Switch That Blew Up North Carolina Politics". New York Times. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  13. ^ Moore, Evan (2023-11-08). "Mecklenburg municipal elections: Christy Clark wins Huntersville mayoral race". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  14. ^ Kowles, Naomi (2023-11-07). "Democrats sweep Huntersville mayor, town commissioner races". WBTV. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  15. ^ Leslie, Laura (2023-11-09). "NC rides national wave of Democratic victories". WRAL. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  16. ^ Moore, Evan (2023-11-01). "NC Republican group injects hot-button national issues into Huntersville election". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  17. ^ Helms, Ann Doss (2023-10-11). "Tricia Cotham's party switch sparks search for DINOs in CMS board race". WFAE. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  18. ^ Helms, Ann Doss (2023-11-07). "Three 'blue ballot' candidates win CMS at-large board seats". WFAE. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  19. ^ Helms, Ann Doss (2023-11-14). "Election brought complex, challenging and hopeful messages for CMS". WFAE. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
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