'Political games': 3 NC Democrats who crossed the governor ousted in primary

RALEIGH, N.C. — For Rep. Shelly Willingham, one of three Democratic incumbents who lost their reelection bids after voting several times with Republicans, the North Carolina Democratic Party is no longer a “big tent” party.

But Morgan Jackson, a political adviser to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, said the results were not about “party purity.”

“Last night was a great night for democracy and a bad night for veto overriders,” Jackson said.

“These folks lost because voters in their districts were fed up with sending people to Raleigh to represent them and their values, and time and time again these representatives would vote against the values and wishes of their constituents.”

Republicans have a supermajority in the Senate but are one seat short in the House. That means they often need help from Democrats to override any vetoes by Stein.

The other Democratic incumbents who lost their seats in blue districts after voting with Republicans are Charlotte-area Reps. Carla Cunningham and Nasif Majeed.

Cunningham frequently sided with Republicans, including on an override of a contentious immigration bill vetoed by Stein. Majeed last year supported an override of Stein’s veto on a bill addressing sexuality and religion in schools and school libraries and another delaying planned carbon-emissions reductions.

It’s not the first time Democratic incumbents have been challenged after not toeing the line.

Rep. Rodney Pierce, a Democrat from Roanoke Rapids, handily defeated Michael Wray on Tuesday in the race for House District 27. Wray had lost to Pierce in 2024 after voting with Republicans on bills and facing blowback from the party and groups including the Young Democrats of North Carolina, the official youth arm of the state Democratic Party.

Willingham and Cunningham also drew criticism from the Young Democrats in 2024 but survived their primary challenges that year.

Other Democratic incumbents in the state who have faced primary challenges after breaking with the party include former Sen. Kirk deViere, who was defeated in the 2022 primary after then-Gov. Roy Cooper endorsed his opponent. Longtime Rep. Mike Woodard also lost a primary in 2024 after facing criticism for voting three times to override Cooper’s vetoes on bills dealing with sales taxes and consumer finance.

Rocky Mount-area race

Willingham said a similar dynamic played out in his race. The six-term lawmaker from Rocky Mount lost to challenger Patricia Smith, who received just over 55% of the vote in the race for House District 23, while Willingham received just over 44%. Smith is an accountant and minister.

The N&O was unable to reach Smith.

Willingham has voted several times with Republicans, including when he supported overrides of vetoes issued by Stein.

Willingham said his challenger had strong backing from outside organizations, which he said was the biggest factor in her success.

Smith had a “whole army of outside folks here helping her,” and she did “a better job of getting her folks out,” he said. He added that a lot of negative media about him ran during the campaign, including TV ads, radio spots and mailers.

Despite this, he said that he had never “run a negative campaign on anybody, and I wasn’t going to start doing it this time.”

Instead, he focused on speaking with constituents about the work he had done and the resources he had brought back to the district. Part of that success, he said, came from his willingness to work with Republicans. He said he was able to “advocate for things that Smith, as a newcomer is not going to be able to do. That’s for sure. We will see very little coming into this district.”

Jackson said that when constituents “want you to come to Raleigh to fight for good jobs, for education, for health care and you come here, you come to Raleigh and time and time again, make side deals with Republicans in order to get some pork barrel spending, your constituents get fed up.”

NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton said on X that “last night voters spoke loud and clear: they want to turn Governor Stein’s veto pen into a permanent marker. In 2027, our Democratic firewall will be stronger, better able to support working families, strengthen public schools, and lower costs from a Republican majority that has repeatedly prioritized ideology over the people it serves.”

“North Carolina Democrats are ready to organize and mobilize across the state to contest every district, reach every voter, and give North Carolinians the representation they deserve. Last night showed that folks are fed up and ready to fight back. Come January 2027, our General Assembly is going to look very different.”

The messaging around him siding with Republicans “resonated here,” said Willingham. “I’m not going to change my vote to satisfy the party or the governor.”

Stein endorsed Pierce and Rodney Sadler, who ran against Cunningham. According to The Assembly, the North Carolina Democratic Party denied access to VoteBuilder — a voter contact software the state party typically gives to candidates at no cost — to lawmakers who had voted to override vetoes by Stein and Cooper. That included Willingham, the outlet reported.

“The party used to be a big tent party. Well, this past election has shown me that we’re not a big tent,” said Willingham.

“So if you disagree with the party leadership or the governor, then they’re going to go after you. I think we’re moving in the wrong direction,” he said. “This strategy — I think long term this will come back and bite us.”

Willingham said he would continue to be involved in the community but would not try to win back his seat.

‘Political games’

Some Democrats who have voted with Republicans in the past were not challenged Tuesday. Those who did tended to be the ones who have sided with the GOP on veto overrides, often seen as a test of party discipline.

“Voters want representatives who are willing to work across the aisle and get things done,” Jackson said. “I think what they saw with these representatives is that they were continuing to push forth in a way that didn’t represent them. And when we see that happen, people get thrown out.”

He said the dynamic was similar to the one in the close Republican primary election where Senate leader Phil Berger was losing by two votes Wednesday to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, according to unofficial results. Berger said he’s waiting to see what provisional ballots show before saying whether he’d call for a recount, The News & Observer reported.

Other Republican incumbent lawmakers have lost primaries this year, but their losses don’t appear to stem from a unified party pushback.

“It’s important to have your finger on the pulse of the constituents that elect you, and they expect you to come to Raleigh to get things done for them,” said Jackson.

“When you come to Raleigh and play political games and focus on things of that nature, instead of helping people at home, they get fed up, and they turn you out.”