CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One of the biggest races in Mecklenburg County was for the newly created House District 105, pitting Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham against Nicole Sidman for a seat representing southeastern Mecklenburg County.
The race was hotly contested and with 100% of precincts reporting, Cotham appears to have squeaked out a win by less than 1%. However, the race is so tight that it opens the possibility for a recount if Sidman requests it. The Associated Press hasn't yet called the race because it's still too close, but Cotham claimed victory on Election Night.
"With all precincts reporting, I am thrilled to have been re-elected to another term in the NC House," Cotham posted on X. "Thank you for all of your support, and I look forward to representing YOU for another term."
Sidman said on social media Thursday that her campaign will request a recount after all votes are counted.
"One of the reasons I ran for office was because my opponent subverted the Democratic process, and I continue to believe that every single vote matters, and voters deserve to have their will reflected - no matter who wins," Sidman said on X.
This contest was interesting because it was Cotham's first reelection bid since her controversial party change that gave Republicans a supermajority in the General Assembly, allowing lawmakers to pass new restrictions on abortion with the ability to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto power. The district was also recently redrawn, including parts of Matthews, Mint Hill and south Charlotte.
Sidman has not responded to requests for comment from WCNC Charlotte but her campaign sent out an email to supporters late Wednesday night. Sidman's message acknowledges the race remains too close to call and that it will "likely head to a recount". She also vowed to "fight like Hell for every vote".
Here's the full message:
Friends,
First, the good news: thanks to friends, family, and supporters like you, North Carolina Democrats have broken the Republican supermajority, and with the election of Josh Stein, we will have the ability to sustain the veto once again and prevent further restrictions on reproductive rights.
You know the bad news. A second Donald Trump presidency is one of the worst things that could happen to our country at this precarious point in our history, and Trump's strong performance hurt Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.
Now, our news: our race is the closest state house race in North Carolina, and it's still too close to call.
Currently, we are trailing by a couple hundred votes. With thousands of outstanding mail ballots and provisional ballots in Mecklenburg County, our race will likely head to a recount, along with our dear friend (and next state senator) Woodson Bradley.
Because of everything you invested in this race; because of how important this seat is to the future of our state and a new Democratic majority in two years; because of everything we owe to our daughters and sons; I talked it over with my family and our team, and we all agreed there's only one path forward:
We're going to fight like Hell for every vote.
As we move forward, I want to thank all of you who donated to support our race. Over 3,000 unique donors made more than 4,000 individual donations since December, making this a truly people-powered campaign. With your support, our campaign was able to send mail to likely voters, deliver thousands of digital ads, and even afford to go up on broadcast television before our opponent.
Our team printed countless pieces of literature, made a ton of phone calls, and knocked on doors to talk to voters where they live. We shared my story, and the issues that matter most to us: an economy that works for every North Carolina family; an excellent public education system for our kids; and laws that respect our privacy and our reproductive rights.
Thanks to hundreds of volunteers, we were able to make direct contact with tens of thousands of voters over the course of the race, send thousands of personal postcards to our neighbors, and even get my family to make calls on our virtual Zoom phone bank!
As many of you know, this has been a tough year for me. In addition to the stresses of work, the campaign, and helping our high school senior prepare for college, I lost my Mom just as the campaign was gearing up. She was so proud of what we were doing together, and many of you met her for the first time on our phone banks.
My Mom was the true inspiration for our race, and for all I’ve accomplished in my life. I miss her everyday, but I am proud to have my Dad, my sisters and the rest of our family by my side throughout these last few months.
Thanks to all of you who have spent a decade fighting to break the supermajority; those of you who are now (or have been) friends for life; and the select few of you who are both.
I also want to thank our super volunteers, our campaign team (thank you Anna, Lance, Ryan, Sam, Alex, and all of our interns!), and everyone who made a donation, made a phone call, wrote a postcard, put up a yard sign, greeted a voter, or knocked on a door.
Finally, thank you to my family: Charlie, Sophie, Eric, and Roxy. Your support has made the whirlwind of the past three months possible.
Together, we built something special. My family and our team is going to rest up, and then get ready for the next step in this process.
No matter how this race turns out, I want to thank you for being a part of it.
With gratitude,
Nicole
Cotham also hasn't responded to WCNC Charlotte's requests.
On Thursday, Sidman announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she plans to request a recount after all votes are counted. She provided the update after the first round of absentee ballots were counted.
Tricia Cotham
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.
Nicole Sidman
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.