(The Center Square) – Saying her constituents come before party affiliation, a North Carolina state representative has exited the Democratic Party.
Rep. Carla Cunningham, in her seventh term representing a portion of Charlotte, on Friday changed to unaffiliated. She was defeated in the Democratic Primary for District 106 by Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler 70%-21.8%, with Vermanno Bowman third (8.3%).
“I have been a Democrat all my life, but I came to realize that I want to serve the people, not a party,” Cunningham said in a statement. “Being an independent thinker does not align with party politics, and I will never compromise the needs of my constituents to satisfy a political agenda.”
Republicans have 71 of the 120 seats in the House of Representatives. Cunningham voted with Republicans at passage and override of first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein on The Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act (House Bill 318); Limit Rules with Substantial Financial Costs (House Bill 402); The Power Bill Reduction Act (Senate Bill 266); and Personal Privacy Protection Act (Senate Bill 416).
Cunningham also voted to override Charter School Changes (Senate Bill 254). She had an excused absence the evening of June 25 at passage.
Stein endorsed Sadler. He doesn’t have an opponent in November.
Also in her statement Cunningham reiterated her support for country fist.
“We have a moral obligation to place the needs of struggling Americans above all competing agendas, including policies that would extend the resources and protections of this government to those who have entered this country unlawfully, at the expense of citizens who have long been underserved,” she said.
Voter registrations show a lengthy history of departure from the state’s Democrats. It’s trickled into those already in elected office, too.
Three Robeson County commissioners, New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon, and former 6th District Democratic Party Chairwoman Sabrina Berry are a portion of the list headlined by the April 2023 switch from Democrat to Republican by state Rep. Tricia Cotham. All of those have come since the start of 2025.
On Feb. 11, 2023, Anderson Clayton was elected chairwoman of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Then 25, she’s 28 today and leading a party with 97,619 fewer registrations than when she took over.
The unaffiliated registrations are up 491,294 in that time, and Republicans are up 139,773.
