CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina State Representative Tricia Cotham, a Republican, is facing off against Democratic rival Rep. Nicole Sidman for a seat in southeast Mecklenburg County.
The race for House District 105 has been heavily watched ever since Cotham announced her plan to run as a Republican in the newly-created district in 2023.
Cotham, who was originally elected as a Democrat, made national headlines last April when she switched to the Republican Party in the middle of a legislative session. That choice gave Republicans the legislative supermajority needed to override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
It also came with much public criticism, especially after the Democrat-turned-Republican voted along with every other Republican in the North Carolina state legislature to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto and enact tighter restrictions on abortion in the state.
Sidman's campaign has highlighted reproductive rights as an important platform issue, alongside bolstering public education funding and pushing for universal background checks on every gun sale.