Democrats dominate 2025 NC municipal elections
Unofficial results from the 2025 municipal elections across North Carolina show a strong night for Democrats — and a rough one for Republicans. More than 550 cities, towns, and villages had elections according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE).
In Charlotte, voters approved (52%–47%) a 1% sales tax referendum that will generate billions of dollars for public transportation projects over the next three decades. Democrat Mayor Vi Lyles was reelected to her fifth term leading Charlotte, receiving over 70% of the vote.
Only one Republican will remain on the council going forward — Ed Driggs, who won unopposed in District 7. Fellow Republicans Edwin Peacock III and Krista Bokhari, were unsuccessful in their bids. Democrats will now hold an 11-1 majority in Charlotte.
The results in Charlotte were mirrored by other municipalities across the state. In Wilmington, Democrats had a clean sweep for the second election cycle in a row, giving them a 7-0 majority on the city council.
Democrats enjoyed success in many other races outside of North Carolina, winning major races in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. In California, Proposition 50, which would allow the state’s legislature to redraw congressional maps, passed with over 60% in favor.
Lawmakers in North Carolina recently went through with redistricting efforts to add an additional Republican-leaning congressional seat in the 2026 midterm elections, by redistricting NC-1 and NC-3.
While results will remain unofficial for the next 10 days, as counties complete their canvass process, several races across North Carolina are still coming down to the wire and could have recounts.
In Morehead City, incumbent seven-term Mayor Jerry Jones trails Lee Anthony Stiles by just one vote. Additional ballots could still impact the outcome, as the Carteret County Board of Elections reviews any absentee-by-mail ballots received by the 7:30 pm Election Day deadline, along with provisional ballots deemed eligible to count.
Voters who cast ballots in the wrong precinct or whose voter registration was missing a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number, as part of the NCSBE’s “Registration Repair Project,” were required to vote provisionally. Those voters have until Nov. 7 to provide the necessary identification or information for their ballot to be counted.
County boards of elections will meet on Nov. 14 to certify final election results and make the totals official.
A full list of unofficial election results are available on the NCSBE Election Results Dashboard.
“Democrats dominate 2025 NC municipal elections” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.
