CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles won Tuesday's Democratic primary in a landslide, earning over 84% of the vote.
Lyles defeated three challengers on the ballot Tuesday, with Lucille Puckett being the runner-up with just 7% of the vote. She held a wide margin over her challenges from the moment the first poll results were released and never looked back en route to the win. She has served as Charlotte's mayor since being elected in November of 2017.
Lyles will face Republican challenger Stephanie de Sarachaga-Bilbao in July's general election. De Sarachaga-Bilbao is a political newcomer, running her first major race. She easily won the Republican primary with 70% of the vote.
Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon and current City Councilman Larken Egleston will not represent the Queen City after not placing in the top four of Tuesday's primary. The top four candidates on the At-Large ballot were Braxton Winston, Dimple Ajmera, LaWana Mayfield and James Mitchell.
Garry McFadden also won his primary, defeating two challengers to hold his seat as Mecklenburg County's sheriff. McFadden pledged to be more transparent after both challengers blamed him for staffing shortages at the Mecklenburg County Jail.
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
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