McCool leads Cotham in Mecklenburg House race

Ken McCool, the Democratic challenger, holds a substantial lead in early voting for North Carolina House District 105. He is running against Republican incumbent Tricia Cotham. The district covers Mint Hill, Matthews, and sections of south Charlotte. Officials released these results shortly after polling stations closed on Tuesday.

McCool leads Cotham by a margin of 63 percent to 37 percent. This district is one of the few competitive seats on the state map. Democrats are targeting this race as they attempt to reclaim control of the state House from Republicans, a party that has held that body since 2010.

Cotham is the sole Republican representing Mecklenburg County in the state House. She won her initial seat in 2022 as a Democrat before switching parties in 2023. Republican lawmakers redrew her district boundaries to include conservative precincts in south Charlotte. This change was designed to improve her re-election prospects.

In 2024, Cotham narrowly defeated Democratic challengers by 213 votes. That margin represented less than one-third of a percentage point. The result occurred in a district that Kamala Harris won in the presidential election that same year. Cotham has maintained her position despite heavy Democratic targeting in the previous cycle.

McCool, a 28-year-old former commissioner of Matthews, campaigned on issues of affordability, public schools, and legislative balance. He minimized the impact of Cotham's party switch in his messaging. "What I have told people is that the state should be run a little more like Matthews," McCool said in an October interview with WFAE. "Pass a budget on time and do good things. We could focus on her party switch, but that’s not going to help working-class families."

Cotham comes from a prominent political family in Mecklenburg County. Her mother, Pat Cotham, served as a county commissioner for many years. Her father, John Cotham, formerly led the county Democratic Party. During her most recent term, Cotham championed Iryna’s Law, which restricts the release of individuals with lengthy criminal records and multiple arrests. The bill honors Iryna Zarutska, who was killed on the Charlotte light rail in August 2025.

Cotham also sponsored legislation allowing Mecklenburg County to raise sales tax by one penny. The revenue supports a multibillion-dollar transportation plan. While business leaders and county politicians supported the measure, residents of Matthews expressed frustration. They noted that the final transit plans omitted the planned Silver Line light rail project, leaving the town without that specific infrastructure.