Latest news with #MecklenburgCountyDemocraticParty
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mecklenburg Democrats elect new leader after post-2024 election division
Mecklenburg County Democrats are moving on from their embattled leader with a new chair. The Mecklenburg County Democratic Party elected former state representative and statewide candidate Wesley Harris as chairman at their yearly convention Saturday at Little Rock AME Zion Church. He'll lead the county party through the 2026 midterms as it looks to defend its dominance in local races, improve Democratic margins in the General Assembly and counter the Trump administration's sweeping policy shifts. Saturday's convention followed a tumultuous stretch for the county party in the months after the 2024 election. Now-former Chairman Drew Kromer faced criticism and calls for resignation over a staffer's departure and allegations the party neglected African American voters. He took office two years earlier pledging to increase fundraising and bring in more professional staff, but many Democrats were disappointed once again with turnout levels in deep blue Mecklenburg. On Saturday, Harris defeated Kromer and longtime Mecklenburg County Commissioner Vilma Leake with 76% of the vote, pledging to unite the party. 'It's incumbent upon us to come together over the next two years,' he said. Despite record-setting fundraising, increased staffing and publicity about efforts to get voters to the polls in 2024, voter turnout in heavily Democratic Mecklenburg once again trailed the rest of North Carolina as Democrats failed to flip the battleground state for presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Days later the county party's then-executive director, Monifa Drayton, resigned with a letter that compared her experience to that of 'professional Black women during the Jim Crow era.' Multiple Black precincts chairs, including the first vice president of the county party's African American Caucus, told the Observer after Drayton's resignation that party leadership, including Kromer, failed to heed warnings about lackluster grassroots organizing in communities with large numbers of Black voters. The caucus later released a statement calling on Kromer to resign. Kromer did not resign and pushed back on the caucus' claims. He said the party was focused on advancing new strategies for organizing and outreach, and made investments in the African American community during the 2024 election cycle. 'What we've seen from the national results is that the party has a lot of work to do to connect with voters and to ensure that our candidates can win up and down the ballot,' he said previously. Harris announced his campaign to challenge Kromer in February with an email to supporters saying his statewide race gave him 'a front-row seat to the dysfunction that has led our core voters to lose trust in our ability to lead.' 'There was a lot of disappointment on November 5th, but the thing that stung the most to me, the one that was the most personal, was seeing Mecklenburg County drop the ball yet again,' he wrote. Leake, a fixture in local politics for decades, announced her own candidacy at Saturday's convention. Harris ultimately received 76% of the vote. Precincts get different numbers of votes based on how many votes were cast for the Democratic nominee for governor in each precinct in the last election, according to state party rules. Kromer told attendees following his defeat he remains committed to the party. 'Thank you for believing in this party and working together. Thank you for sharing your ideas. Thank you for everything,' he said. 'At the end of the day, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to continue to stay engaged.' In his acceptance speech, Harris called for more civil debate within the party as it shapes its strategy for local elections later this year and consequential mid-term elections in 2026. 'Misunderstandings are way more common than malicious intent,' he said. 'And we're all Democrats. We all want to win.' Harris represented parts of southern Mecklenburg from 2019 to 2024 in the North Carolina House. He ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2024, losing to Republican Brad Briner by a margin of 47.5% to 52.5%. He grew up in Taylorsville and Statesville and graduated from Clemson University before a career as an economist and tax consultant. Harris told the Observer after announcing his campaign for party chair that his statewide candidacy allowed him to see what strategies are working, or not working, for other county parties. He said he'd put those lessons to use as a party chair, especially the need to connect with the community outside of election cycles. 'Don't show up a couple of weeks before the election knocking on doors,' he said. 'Show up months before, years before the big elections, and just be part of the community.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After Mecklenburg Democrats' post-election turmoil, will party pick a new leader?
Mecklenburg Democrats are poised to pick their next leader after months of turmoil following the 2024 election. The Mecklenburg County Democratic Party will hold its convention Saturday, including electing the county party's next chair. Candidates include former state representative and Council of State candidate Wesley Harris, who is challenging current Chairman Drew Kromer. Kromer faced criticism and calls for resignation in the wake of the 2024 general election over a staffer's departure and allegations the party neglected African American voters. He took office two years earlier pledging to increase fundraising and bring in more professional staff, but many Democrats were disappointed once again with turnout levels in deep blue Mecklenburg. Harris has campaigned on addressing 'dysfunction that has led our core voters to lose trust in our ability to lead.' Whoever is elected chair will lead the county party through the 2026 midterms as it looks to defend Democratic dominance in local races and respond to the Trump administration's sweeping policy shifts. Precincts get different numbers of votes based on how many votes were cast for the Democratic nominee for governor in each precinct in the last election, according to state party rules. Kromer, first elected in 2023, told the Observer when he took office his key goals were to increase the party's community presence and increase fundraising to pay for an executive director and additional staff to 'professionalize' the party. A Charlotte native, he's a graduate of Davidson College and UNC Chapel Hill and a lawyer by trade. Kromer previously served as vice chair of the College Democrats of America, a delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention and a member of the state Democratic Party's Executive Committee. Harris represented parts of southern Mecklenburg from 2019 to 2024 in the North Carolina House. He ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2024, losing to Republican Brad Briner by a margin of 47.5% to 52.5%. He grew up in Taylorsville and Statesville and graduated from Clemson University before a career as an economist and tax consultant. Harris told the Observer after announcing his campaign for party chair that his statewide candidate allowed him to see what strategies are working, or not working, for other county parties. He said he'd put those lessons to use as a party chair. 'Don't show up a couple of weeks before the election knocking on doors,' he said. 'Show up months before, years before the big elections, and just be part of the community.' No other candidates appear to have publicly announced campaigns. Turnout and community relations have been points of contention among local Democrats since the 2024 general election. Despite record-setting fundraising and an optimistic message about efforts to get voters to the polls in 2024, voter turnout in heavily Democratic Mecklenburg once again trailed the rest of North Carolina as Democrats failed to flip the battleground state for presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Days later, Mecklenburg Democrats executive director Monifa Drayton resigned from the party with a letter that compared her experience to that of 'professional Black women during the Jim Crow era.' Multiple Black precincts chairs, including the first vice president of the county party's African American Caucus, told the Observer after Drayton's resignation party leadership, including Kromer, failed to heed warnings about lackluster grassroots organizing in communities with large numbers of Black voters. The caucus later released a statement calling on Kromer to resign. Kromer previously pushed back on those claims and calls for resignation, saying the party is focused on advancing new strategies for organizing and outreach. He said the party made investments in the African American community during the 2024 election cycle. 'What we've seen from the national results is that the party has a lot of work to do to connect with voters and to ensure that our candidates can win up and down the ballot,' he said previously. Harris said previously he'd spoken with some African American community leaders about post-2024 concerns and wants to 'build trust back.' 'We're a diverse party. Having a diverse party like that has a lot of different viewpoints, and real leadership is bringing those viewpoints together for a common goal,' he said. County party members will gather at 10 a.m. Saturday at Little Rock AME Zion Church for their yearly convention. In addition to electing county-level officers, attendees will elect delegates to the state party's executive committee and discuss resolutions and the party's platform.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former NC legislator, treasurer candidate announces bid for Mecklenburg Democrats chair
The Mecklenburg County Democratic Party could be under new leadership later this year. Former state representative and Council of State candidate Wesley Harris announced a run for chair of the county party Thursday with a message to supporters and revamped campaign website. Harris's announcement comes after a period of tumult within the party. Current chair Drew Kromer faced criticism and calls for resignation in the wake of the 2024 general election over a staffer's departure and allegations the party neglected African American voters. An economist and tax consultant by trade, Harris served three terms in the North Carolina House from 2019 to 2024. He ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2024, losing to Republican Brad Briner by a margin of 47.5% to 52.5%. In an email to supporters announcing his candidacy for the Meck Dems chairmanship, Harris said his statewide race gave him 'a front-row seat to the dysfunction that has led our core voters to lose trust in our ability to lead.' 'There was a lot of disappointment on November 5th, but the thing that stung the most to me, the one that was the most personal, was seeing Mecklenburg County drop the ball yet again,' he wrote. The sheer number of Democrats in the county means the party views Mecklenburg as a wealth of untapped potential for its fortunes statewide. Despite record-setting fundraising and an optimistic message about efforts to get voters to the polls in 2024, voter turnout in heavily Democratic Mecklenburg once again trailed the rest of North Carolina as Democrats failed to flip the battleground state for presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Days after the general election, executive director Monifa Drayton resigned from the party with a letter that compared her experience to that of 'professional Black women during the Jim Crow era.' Multiple Black precincts chairs, including the first vice president of the county party's African American Caucus, told The Charlotte Observer after Drayton's resignation party leadership, including Kromer, failed to heed warnings about lackluster grassroots organizing in communities with large numbers of Black voters. The caucus later released a statement calling on Kromer to resign. County Commissioner Arthur Griffin also sent an email to Kromer in the wake of Drayton's resignation calling for him to leave his post, WFAE reported. Kromer previously pushed back on those claims and calls for resignation, saying the party is focused on advancing new strategies for organizing and outreach and made investments in the African American community during the 2024 election cycle. 'Anybody is welcome to run against me for whatever they like,' he told the Observer previously. Kromer did not immediately respond to an Observer question about his future plans with the party in the wake of Harris's announcement. In his announcement, Harris, who previously represented parts of southern Mecklenburg, touted himself as a strong fundraiser 'who understands the dynamics of this state' and 'is committed to building back our brand in the low turnout sections of Meck.' 'My experience in the legislature, running a statewide campaign, and winning competitive legislative races gives me the relationships and leadership we need to move forward,' he wrote to supporters. Harris' message said the county party 'ignored our base in favor of flashy races that already have support.' He didn't specify specific races, but the county party focused much of its attention in 2024 on the presidential race and Democrat Nicole Sidman's failed bid to oust controversial state Rep. Tricia Cotham. Harris said new leadership needs 'to crack the code of Mecklenburg turnout woes for the Democratic Party.' 'In some ways, we have everything going for us in Mecklenburg County, but we need leaders who will get our house in order,' he wrote. Party members will elect a new chair in the spring.
