CHARLOTTE — North Carolina state Rep. Carla Cunningham says she’s changing her party affiliation from the Democratic Party to be unaffiliated, Channel 9 learned on Friday.
Cunningham represents the 106th District, which is in northern Mecklenburg County. She was first elected in 2012.
Since her first election, Cunningham has run on the Democratic Party ticket. This past legislative session, she made headlines for voting with the Republican Party to override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein on several issues, including immigration.
After those override votes, Cunningham told Channel 9 earlier this year that she stood by her decisions while she faced two challengers in the Democratic Party primary.
In March, Cunningham was soundly defeated in the Democratic primary election. Rodney Sadler won the Democratic Party nomination with 70% of the vote, while 22% of voters in District 106 voted for Cunningham.
According to the North Carolina voter registry, Cunningham is now listed as unaffiliated.
On Friday, the Mecklenburg County Republican Party said it strongly supported Cunningham for her decision.
We’re reaching out to the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party for a comment.
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