Mecklenburg Elections 2025 - A Postmortem Dystopian Dissection

by Ken May, HNRMC President November 12, 2025

I offer an admonition as you read this first paragraph. Unless you read War and Peace as a youngster and enjoyed it, you may want to stop now!

If you are still with me, buckle up, because as fingers hit keyboard, we are off on a journey sure to be riddled with random streams of consciousness and musings about the state of our city, our county, our state and our country.

It will include ramblings, reflections, analyses and prognostications. And it will include the nittiest and grittiest numbers that invigorate me but will be more powerful than a double dose of Sominex and Melatonin to most.

I always loved the opening monologue of The Twilight Zone. One couldn’t help but hearken back to the haunting and foreboding elocution of Rod Serling on Election Night 2025.

“You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind”.

But we knew our journey was not going to be into a wondrous land whose only boundaries are that of imagination. For we were not entering The Twilight Zone. We were about to enter the reality of the Charlotte Zone. It’s a dimension not of vision or of sound mind but of single party rule and mathematical certainty.

And yes, not all is hopeless, there are islands of hope within Mecklenburg County, but like the rising tides of the Outer Banks, they are being chipped away at one precinct at a time. We must choose our future battles wisely.

Our recently departed friend, Ivan Mothershead, had a favorite saying. “Mistakes were made; blame must be assigned”. We laughed every time he said it. It’s an old saying that transcends modern time. But that’s what a postmortem is for, is it not?

What went wrong? What can we do to fix it? If it can’t be fixed, where do we turn our focus? Do we throw good money after bad? Do we have a winning 2026 strategy? If we are starting now, is it too late? We have more questions than answers at this time, but answers must come soon.

Election 2025 - Hope Springs Eternal

As we entered this election cycle, the “party loyal” had a lot of confidence that things would be different locally in 2025.

“We have our best chance ever to take back our city” was the Republican Party war cry. I don’t have any problem with that. It’s the party’s job to give the troops hope and provide a rallying cry that will encourage volunteers to work hard to get out the vote.

Meck GOP did that pretty well whether you think so or not.  We didn’t lose because Meck GOP didn’t give it their all. They did. But it was never going to be enough to offset the math. Just like the house always wins in casinos, the math always wins in elections, especially when it is City of Charlotte math. Meck GOP provided more financial support both directly and indirectly to candidates than ever before in their history for a municipal race. Every candidate requesting support received some level of funding. Radio ads were purchased. Palm Cards were printed and handed out throughout the county. Doors were knocked. Social Media contacts and direct text messages to likely voters were made. 

Now I personally disagree with this strategy as I prefer a laser focus on the races that are winnable with all resources supporting those races. The argument has always been that if we put someone in every race it will make the Democrats spend money in those races leaving less for the competitive races. The problem is the Democrats don't perceive us a  threat. They spent no money in the races they knew they would win. We put resource there that could have been used in our most competitive races. And you know what. It would not have mattered. The outcome would not change. It was a new strategy for Meck GOP worth trying. I applaud them. Now we learn from it and perhaps redirect resources where they can be best used in 2026. 

Election Night Blues....And Blue was the color of the night!

As we gathered for our watch party on Election Night, I couldn’t help but think of the famous scene in The Hunger Games when Effie Trinket, presiding over the Reaping, cheerfully encouraged the 24 tributes with the catch phrase, “May the odds be ever in your favor”.

23 of the 24 would be dead at the conclusion of the Hunger Games. One winner would remain standing. But that winner would be forever scarred after suffering through the brutality of the Games, er, I mean election.

I thought we would do a little better that night, but not much better. I suspected we would hold our District 5 School Board seat. Lisa Cline was an outstanding candidate and a highly qualified incumbent who worked hard showing up at every nonpartisan event. As we now know, it mattered not. “ ‘Twas the tax referendum killed the party….along with a whole lot of other issues, with apathy leading that charge” and when combined, they brought down Lisa with it!

I prayed we would hold on to the District 6 City Council seat with Krista Bokhari, but I had serious doubts. At the conclusion of early voting, I had lost hope. The turnout told the story. And the number of people taking our palm cards vs theirs was a harbinger of the bad news to come.  The odds there were not forever in our favor. Tariq won with a 314-vote margin in 2023, and tribal wisdom had the demographics for that district changing to a Dem +3+ district, which we thought just might keep it in play, especially with the likability factor and name recognition of our candidate, Krista. Alas, it ‘twas not to be.  The blue wave suggests it is now a D +10-13 district.

The District 6 2025 election results do not bode well for Senate Seat 42 in 2026 and makes House Seat 104 forever out of reach, not that it was ever really in play. Krista is a great lady and was a good candidate in the wrong place at the wrong time. And she was swept away like a Buxton Beach stilt house! While she will not serve on the Council, she will be a strong advocate for the people of her district and for Charlotte. We have not heard the last of the Bokhari family, and for that we are thankful.

There were three candidates for school board in District 1 and District 6, and in each case it was a Republican vs. two Democrats, the Republican Party had a glimmer of hope that Democrats would split votes which would lead us to an upset in one or both seats. After all, in 2022, the vote total of three Republicans in District 1 out totaled the lone Democrat votes by about 54-46, but three Republicans splitting that vote lost us the race.

Meck GOP backed the wrong horse in that race but in all fairness, the incumbent threw her hat in the ring at the last-minute disrupting the Republican Party strategy and it was too late to turn back. But we should have. She was the only one that could win but you can’t beat your own party and the opposition. That was never going to work. We had that seat and lost it in the most stupid of ways by forming a circular firing squad and knocking off each other while lofting the Democrat to a win in our own house. Now District 1 appears lost for a very long time.   As we monitored early voting turnout, we knew before election day that those seats were lost.

Bill Fountain had name recognition in District 1 but not necessarily positive name recognition. He came in fourth in that same race in 2022 behind the winning Democrat and two Republicans. Two Democrats in that race didn’t make a difference in 2025. The results were 45%-29%-26% with newcomer Democrat Charlitta Hatch winning, Bill coming in second and the embattled incumbent Democrat Melissa Easley, skewered by her own party, coming in dead last. In effect, we lost 71-29, Dem to Rep.

Newcomer Justin Shealey is a breath of fresh air and ran for District 6 school board. That seat was gerrymandered away from the Republican party in 2022 and faced long odds. Very. Long. Odds!!!!

We put up a very strong candidate who worked hard. There were two Democrats running. And we lost 77%-23%. Even if the Dems split their votes equally we still lose by 15 points. Sean Strain, an incumbent Republican, lost that seat in 2022 by a margin of 69-31%.

He who draws the map wins the election. We didn’t draw that map. The odds were not forever in our favor. And hope does not spring eternal for the future there. It’s a shame because Justin Shealy has the potential to be a Rock Star for Republicans somewhere down the road. But not in that district. It is not winnable for a Republican as drawn.

The Last Man Standing – Our Charlotte Republican Unicorn

As it turns out, that last man standing in Charlotte is Ed Driggs in District 7 and he was unopposed. Ed wins because he does not wrap himself in the party flag and colors. Don’t get me wrong. He has strong conservative values, and he is one of us. Never doubt that. But he knows what anyone who wants to win in Charlotte must know. When you are in the minority that we are in, you must appeal across the board as someone who will work across the aisle in the best interests of the city and work behind the scenes to ensure fiscal responsibility in government.

Ed’s job on council has always been hard and now it will be even harder with an avowed socialist joining the other social warriors on the Charlotte City Council. 15% of voters still wrote in someone else in his race.

If and when Ed steps down, there is no guarantee we keep that seat. We already know one of the Democrats who will run for that seat in 2027. He will be a strong candidate. And I’ll bet a dollar to a donut (I’ll make it $5 to a donut, you can’t get a donut for a dollar anymore) that Democrat has a primary. And it will not bode well for him.

Let’s hope Ed takes a swig out of the fountain of youth and runs again in 2027. But just in case he doesn’t, we need to find his replacement, that person needs to be attending city council meetings and getting on city committees now and must be seen around the city for the next two years. You don’t throw your hat in the ring on filing day having never attended a city council meeting and expect to win. It doesn’t work that way and it shouldn’t work that way. Not for City Council, not for mayor, not for school board, not for any public office to which you aspire.

Candidates, please do your homework and then do the work. The Beatles were right. It don’t come easy. If you don’t work for it, it won’t come at all. And you don’t start on filing day. That is never going to work.

Yes, we only had one winner in Charlotte. Just like the Hunger Games. The Charlotte City Council election was a case of real-life imitating art, and I can tell you firsthand that watching the City of Charlotte City Council Hunger Games on Monday is way more brutal than the movie it resembles. It’s more like the Game of Thrones, but slightly more cutthroat. And now we have a twenty-something socialist acolyte of AOC and Zohran Mamdani joining the Council representing District 5 on 12-1-2025. The odds are even less in our favor going forward.

Will we ever elect another Republican Judge in Mecklenburg?

Probably not, is the answer.

There are 21 District Court judges in Mecklenburg. They serve a four year term. Every single one is a Democrat. Their election is countywide. That equates to a 67-33 loss for any Republican daring to beat the odds. Oliver Wendell Holmes could not get elected in Mecklenburg running County Wide.

There are 8 elected Superior Court Judges in Mecklenburg. 6 Democrats and 2 Republicans. George Bell’s term is up in 2026 and he is running for the Court of Appeals. He no longer had a winnable district and there was no path to continue as a Superior Court Judge.

Matt Osman was elected by a margin of 77 votes in 2022. His term is up in 2030. He would be the first to tell you he does not anticipate his current 26B seat to be winnable in 2030.

Here is the good news. There are actually a few of the Democrat judges who believe in the rule of law and adhere to the old saw, “If you did the crime, prepare to do the time”.

What we really need in Mecklenburg is the reincarnation of Judge Smails. He sent young criminals to the electric chair. He didn’t want to do it. He felt he owed to them. Ok, ok, he was a Caddyshack judge and spent more time at Bushwood Country Club than in the Courtroom. But we need more tough justice. Or the Murder rate will increase and bleed into our "safe neighborhoods".

If things are going to improve in Mecklenburg, we need tougher sentencing standards, more ADAs, better ADAs, and judges willing to put away our most violent and repeat offenders until the sun no longer shines. They are somewhat handcuffed by the current guidelines. There is judicial latitude but not near enough. That has to change.

Mecklenburg vs. Charlotte – Better but not great!

I promise to try and be brief here. Brevity is not one of my virtues. And I have a different definition of brevity than the average bear.

Mint Hill is a decent Republican stronghold. Town Commissioner and Mayor Pro Tem Dale Dalton ran for Mayor and won 64-36. Only two Commissioner seats were up this election as they have split elections. Newcomer Republican Trey Long, a good guy, ousted Republican Patrick Holton, another really good guy, for one of the seats as the top vote getter and Democrat incumbent Twanna Henderson came in second keeping her seat. Now, with Dale winning it automatically opens up his seat and the town Commission will select a replacement for Dale and conventional wisdom tells us they will select Patrick Holton to fill Dale’s seat which will swiftly put him back on the Commission. Status Quo in Mint Hill. We keep the mayor seat and have the same number of commissioners, with one lone Democrat on the Commission.

Matthews is a different story. Dems win the Mayor race with incumbent Democrat John Higdon outpacing Republican Leon Threatt 64-36. Republican Incumbents Mark Tofano and Gina Hoover who both served briefly on the Meck GOP board both lost their race, but newcomer Republicans Jonathan Clayton and Jennifer Garrity were elected in their place. Why did this happen? Gina and Mark were the number 1 and 2 vote getters out of the six commissioners elected in 2023. Not only were they incumbents, but they were also the most popular incumbents in the last election. What caused the fall from grace?

A longer story to that one will be fodder for another day and it would make for a great John Grisham novel. “The Letter” would be its title. Four former Mayor’s, including some frenemies if not enemies, banded together to in effect oust the two Republican incumbents who were not beholding to and refused to pledge an oath of fealty as liege lords of the Developer Throne. Mark and Gina were good and faithful civic servants. I was sorry to see them go. I don’t know their replacements yet but let us hope they develop strong Republican bona fides with their votes and actions.

What happened in Matthews changes the landscape of our only Mecklenburg General Assembly House Seat 105 now occupied by Tricia Cotham. Former Matthews town commissioner Ken McCool will hope to ride the Matthews blue wave in 2026. This one gives me some sleepless nights.

Pineville can be summed up with the lottery catch phrase. You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket. You can’t win a seat in Pineville if you don’t have a candidate. We didn’t. A clean Democrat sweep in a city where we have had representation. It is no longer one of our islands but could be again with the right candidates. And I think I know who can win there. And the next time I get some toasted ravioli at Margaux’s on the main drag, I’m going to ask him to consider running. You know who you are, Kevin!

Stallings is an anomaly. But I mention it for a very specific reason. Stallings is about 95% in Union County. Over 1000 votes were cast by Union County residents vs 47 votes cast in Mecklenburg. Republican David Scholl won. Now why is this important. Parts of Stallings were annexed by Mecklenburg in 2001, so it is the only city in Union County that lies in two counties. Neighbors on one side of the street pay Mecklenburg taxes and go to Mecklenburg schools and those on the other side get all the benefits of Union County.

So, here’s the thing, if you can’t beat them, join them. Annexation, De-annexation and the future of Charlotte will be covered shortly. Stay tuned.

Cornelius is a Republican stronghold. Popular Republican incumbent mayor Woody Washam, Jr. was washed away by fellow Republican Denis Bilodeau. Woody narrowly beat Denis in 2023 by a margin of 5 votes, so yes, every vote matters. In 2025, Denis won by a little over 500 votes with a Democrat coming in a distant 3rd. The results were 44-37-19, so Republicans win here by a margin of 81-19. That is as red as red gets. Way to go Cornelius. You are the Republican Island kingdom in Mecklenburg amongst a sea of deep blue.

Davidson is Davidson. As blue as it gets. We produced a goose egg. If you have zero chance of winning, why run. And we didn’t. The good Republicans of Davidson figured that out and stayed home. They probably drove to Cornelius for a pizza and beer watch party. Hope does not spring eternal here, in fact, there is no hope and no spring in Davidson.

Huntersville can best be described using a famous Winston Churchill quote. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. While Churchill opined that about Russia at the start of WWII, it fits modern day Huntersville.  It is the proverbial enigma wrapped in a conundrum. This place should be at least like Matthews or even better. We should get 50-50 representation here. There was a time not so long ago we did.

Huntersville is a highly developed and wealthy town with a lot of money standing ready to develop it even more. And therein lies the issue from what I understand. This is a town where people don’t so much turn on the evening news, they go to the Huntersville Unhinged and Huntersville Unmasked pages to see what craziness has ensued that day. It is totally less than fair for me to give an opinion here. I only know about it from afar. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new TV show pop up called “The Real Republicans of Huntersville”.

Now here’s the thing. Some of our absolute staunchest and best Republican volunteers reside here. Linda Bost leads the North Mecklenburg Republicans, and they are a force. They work hard, they get out the vote and they turned the tide in North Meck the Republican way in the 2024 national election. But we lost our House seat 98 there, and we need to get it back. John Bradford is hard to replace. He was one of the smartest and well-spoken members of the Republican majority in the General Assembly. We need to clone him or find someone just as good.

Bottom line, we had a net gain of one in Huntersville. We lost the mayor race roughly 65-35. We captured one of six seats on the Board of Commissioners. In 2023 we lost the mayor’s race and all six seats on the Commission. Our Republican candidate that won this time came in 6th out of 9. We got back a small piece, albeit a very small of this island.

We have hope in Huntersville. It will take the right candidates and the right messaging, and the circular firing squad must disband here. Social media is our biggest enemy in Huntersville. If Facebook didn’t exist, I think we would have half the seats and the mayor. That is our goal for 2027. In Linda Bost, we trust. Gitter done, Linda. And let’s get back House Seat 98 while we’re at it!

The Charlotte 2025 Debacle: It’s The Tax Referendum, Stupid…but not really!

It would be easy to blame the high turnout exclusively on the contentious and bipartisan tax referendum. I don’t think there is any question about whether it was the main driver of turnout. But it wasn’t the only driver.

178,224 votes were cast in Mecklenburg County. 177,440 votes were cast in the Public Transportation Sales and Use Tax race with it narrowly winning by a margin of 52.1-47.9%. 99.6% of everyone who voted cruised all the way to the end of the ballot to vote for or against this one. No other race came close to that percentage of eligible voters casting a ballot.

For instance, only about 90% of Charlotte eligible voters cast a vote for mayor but they scrolled down ballot and voted in the referendum. Is that because they didn’t think either mayor candidate was worthy of their vote? Or was it because there was a well-financed “get out the yes vote” campaign, and those voters went to the polls to cast a single vote for or against. We will never know for sure but I think you can make a real safe assumption that the referendum is what drove a lot of people to the polls.

It's the Tax Referendum, Stupid……but what were the other drivers?

James Carville will go down in history for coming up with one of the most iconic catchphrases in the history of politics. He was a lead strategist on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and when he was training the trainers of the poll greeters he told them if they had to tell the voters as they entered the polls one reason to vote for Clinton they should say “The Economy, Stupid”.

It caught on and Bombastic Bill Charismatic Clinton breezed to victory over George H. W. Bush. Now we must give Saturday Night Live some credit for taking down Bush with Dana Carvey’s “Na gonna do it” and “Wouldn’t be prudent” imitation that made Bush look foolish and bumbling.

Ever since 1992, it seems most political races use a variation of the “It’s the Economy, Stupid. Now we all know that our mothers taught us to stop using the word stupid as it wasn’t nice, so the smarter politicians have made their statements more politically correct by replacing Stupid with Duh! And while I won’t let my grandkids say Stupid, passing down my mother’s admonition, for the purposes of this dissertation, I’ll allow it for maximum impact.

So, what are some of the other reasons the highest percentage of registered voters turned out in Mecklenburg in the last 20 years? I’ll list them in no particular order. You can rank them as you see fit. I think all played a part, but none as big as the tax Referendum.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does!!!!

“It’s the Economy, Stupid”. It’s time tested and it rings true today. What doesn’t make a lot of sense is our economy is pretty good right now. But the fear of inflation-induced tariffs, the rising cost of health care and high interest rates more than offset the price drop we have enjoyed in gas and eggs. It’s not so much a bad economy this time, it’s the fear of a bad economy.

“It’s the Government Shutdown, Stupid”. The party in power always gets blamed. And voters confirmed it.

“It’s the fear of tariffs, Stupid” creating the “Grinch of Christmas 2025” (Don’t you dare take away our cheap electronics and knock-off designer clothing) 

“It’s the “No Kings” Anti Trump movement, Stupid”. (Effective Dem marketing of a stupid idea. Pay the people and they will protest anything for you. It’s rule number one in the Dem playbook. We don’t use that play. They use it very well. And Trump, the troll in chief, drives them to the street when putting a crown or a Trump 28 hat on his desk. They are gullible enough to believe he means it. He doesn’t, but he didn’t do us any favors. It’s theater and fun and games for him. It’s deadly for us.)

“It’s the ICE (doing their job) backlash, Stupid”. In Mecklenburg, this resonates. It was not the main driver by far but a driver it was! Just when we thought we were bringing the Hispanics to our side, we slip back. Don’t get me wrong. ICE needs to do their job. Trump was elected to close the border and deport the bad guys. Even those that voted for him to do this perceive he has gone too far. We may get a small percentage wrong. But he needs to keep on keeping on getting this done.

“It’s perceived “uber” competitive mayor races in Matthews and Huntersville, Stupid". And yes, no question this drove turnout in those two towns, but honestly, it wasn’t even about the mayor race there. It was about the tax referendum and the development vs anti-development crowd. Even little ole Weddington in Union County had that battle. It’s bigger than you think.

“It’s the “Republican Municipal Malaise, Stupid”. Don’t count this one out. We have a defeatist attitude and know we can’t win in Charlotte so we don’t show up. And it becomes an even bigger factor when you are still on a “post 2024 Victory Hangover”.

Victory is fleeting. Just ask the Panthers. You win a huge game against the Super Bowl contending Packers in their own house, you let up, and you then lose to the lowly 1-6 Saints!! Who Dat? Dat is what complacency gets you. And to take that analogy a little further, it comes down to who you have as your QB or in this case who is at the top of your ticket. If that person is a rookie and untested and unknown, even if they have untested and unknown talent, the team is not motivated to play their best. And in the case of an election, playing your best equates to voter turnout.

“It's the Strategy, Stupid”. Look, we went with what we thought would work. We focused on Public Safety, horrific murders next door, perceived shady back-room City Council deals……and it did not resonate. Why? One reason is because a lot of our Republican voters live in relatively safe, low crime areas and are not impacted by that.

Think about the average Republican or Unaffiliated voter today who has a good job, is raising a family, spends time at various sports fields, does not read a newspaper because we literally do not have a daily print edition, does not watch the nightly news and are generally oblivious to the issues upon which we focused. But guess what, changing the strategy wouldn’t really have made any difference. And do you know why?

“It’s the Numbers, Stupid, It’s the Math, Stupid, It’s Mecklenburg, Stupid".

Pick one, they are all valid. Math is not forever in our favor! Take a look.   

Mecklenburg County, NC Voter Registration Statistics

Democratic: 317,422

Green: 574
Libertarian: 5,393

Republican: 156,563

Unaffiliated: 331,047

White: 406,962
Black: 242,429

American Indian/Alaska Native: 2,084
Asian: 25,377
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 95
Multiracial: 4,811
Other: 49,122
Undesignated: 80,119
Hispanic: 51,527

Male: 336,808
Female: 404,347
Total: 810,999

Black turnout percentage exceeds white turnout even though the white population outnumbers the black population by over 150,000. Two things to consider:

1.   There is a higher percentage of black voters in Charlotte than there are in the six other municipalities.

2.   The Black Political Caucus is the most influential group in the city, and they know how to rally, motivate and get out their constituents’ votes.

Now, look at the charts and review historical turnout and election results for the City of Charlotte Mayoral and At Large races for the last seven, two-year election cycles. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll save you a thousand words. The numbers speak for themselves.

One thing to note. The total ballots cast column is the total number cast for the whole county as this is how it is reported on the state website. We can do a deeper dive and get how many votes were cast in Charlotte vs. the rest of the county. Those numbers will be available after canvass this Friday. Some 2025 actual numbers will change but it will be de minimis and will not impact any race. No race is subject to a recount.

So, bottom line, we have had a Democratic Mayor for a very long time and a 9-2 split on the City Council for just as long. We have not had a Republican win an At Large seat since the earth cooled it seems. And it won’t happen soon.

And by the way, “It’s Not the Money, Stupid”. Republicans far outraised their opponents in every competitive seat. It didn’t make a difference. Not a bit. Money can’t beat Math. Math always wins.

The 2025 turnout numbers scream “Tax Referendum”. All those other factors played a role, but collectively not as big as “THE TAX”. Our Republican mayoral candidate had the highest vote total since Kenny Smith ran in 2017. He was an incumbent Council member, was extraordinarily competent and had a high likability factor and he still lost by 18+ points. That is the “Charlotte Factor”. Not only do Dems outnumber us over 2-1 in registered voters, the Unaffiliated swing about 60-40 Dems in Charlotte.

It’s math, stupid!!

Take a good look at the Republican candidates since 2013. What do you notice. Do you recognize any of those names. They run and they lose and they disappear. Maybe they moved to a Republican County. John Powell certainly did and he is running for the General Assembly in Union County. The other ones have either joined a Tibetan monastery or drifted away into the night realizing their noble efforts were for naught. I can’t blame them. But on the other hand, we can’t just give up. We have to put up a fight. But only on those patches of red islands where we can eke out a win.

Incumbency helps but it does not allow us to win. Name recognition helps but does not lead us to victory. Case in point. Edwin Peacock, a well-known and highly respected Republican, with current and prior incumbency got almost 10,000 more votes than the other “Republican” running at large. And more importantly, Edwin Peacock got almost 13,000 or a third more votes than the Republican candidate for Mayor.

Now I must believe most Republicans when voting probably voted for our mayor candidate and both of our at large candidates. So, the difference comes from the Unaffiliated voter and even some Democratic voters willing to support a Republican who is both well known and respected. But it is still not enough. Not near enough.

Republican John Powell came within 248 votes of capturing an “At Large” seat in 2015. That was 10 years ago. The next election he lost by over 13,000 votes. It has gotten progressively worse. This year we lost the At Large seat by a margin of over 41,000. We lost by over a 2-1 margin. Why, well, the Dems outnumber us 2-1.

It's the Math!!

Ok, these numbers are self-explanatory, except for one perhaps. Under the “Sex” column the C stands for confused. No, that is not an official designation recognized by the board of election. It just means someone didn’t check the M or F box. The State of North Carolina only recognizes two sexes, and they don’t have an “other” box like some states do. If you don’t check the box, you can still be a valid registered voter but we don’t know your sex. We do know this. If every one of the 69,846 current registered voters who did not check a box were men, then men would outnumber women in Mecklenburg. We have no way of knowing of course and it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the D and the R. We lose either way. 

One other number of note. Look at the growth in registered voters since 2013. We have had over a 150,000 increase in registered voters . Republicans were virtually tied with Unaffiliated back then. Now they outnumber us 2-1. We have fewer Republicans in Mecklenburg today than we did in 2013. The Democrats have way more. The Unaffiliated have way, way more. And they don’t vote our way. We have experienced the great urban exodus from Charlotte to surrounding counties led by Union, Iredell, and Cabarrus. They remain Republican strongholds, but they are seeing a chipping away one precinct at a time also. Do apartments beget Democrats? Is it an old wives’ tale? Must have been a really smart wife!!

 Mecklenburg Election 2025 – Where do we go from here???

If you are still with me, shame on you, didn’t you have something better to do than read a depressing recap of what was inevitable, and nothing herein will change a thing.

Hope springs eternal in warfare and baseball, not so much in Mecklenburg Politics.

On the eve of the Municipal election two of my favorite poems came to mind. The Charge of the Light Brigade and Casey at the Bat. Most of you know both of them.

In 1854, the British launched a suicide mission against the Russians during the Crimean War. It was immortalized by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Warfare was still done on horseback in those days. And a light brigade rode the fastest horses with swords unsheathed and sabers rattling as they charged artillery units dodging canon fire and musket shots. Not many survived this first attack that served to create an opening for the heavy brigade; armored horsemen who would rout the fleeing enemy. Roughly 2/3 of the brave 600 died in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Listen to Lord Tennyson’s cryptic description of what ensued. 

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

We knew going into election night that not many of our candidates would be victorious. Like the Light Brigade we hoped and prayed for some victories.  Alas, it was not to be. We faced way bigger odds than the Light Brigade. No one will write poems about the bloody night of November 5, in 2025. But we learn things from every battle to prepare for the next one.

Yes, hope sprang eternal. Many hopefully thought we would win a lot more than we did. It was not to be.

Did you know the poem Casey at the Bat was oft used as an allegory for politics and elections. Read and see if you see it. I consolidated some verses, as you can see. 

The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.

Mudville is Mecklenburg. Casey is our absolute best candidate. The Umpire is the Board of Elections.

The Umpire is fair and impartial and calls them like he sees them. I know, I know, the election deniers will scream at me for this one. Remember, the Republican party now controls the board of elections. Easy to vote, hard to cheat is their motto.

But numbers are numbers. Strikes are strikes. Absentee voting was strike one. 2000 votes did not bode well for us. Early voting was strike 2, and honestly, after that second strike, strike three was an inevitable 100 mph fastball right down the middle. We also had a couple of knock down pitches thrown at us along the way.

The umpire can also represent the will of the people. The fans represent that small minority of voters we call the party loyal. The volunteers, the poll greeters, the door knockers, the poll judges, the poll observers. We take these losses personally. Most of the population doesn’t even go to the game. In the case our election, 78% of the fans stayed home. And most did not even know there was an election. And they didn’t care. They shed no tear. Oblivious Street is the residence of most of our voters and it is a desirable zip code in which to reside when good things are not going  your way.

Possible  Solutions – 2026 and beyond

I’m tired and I know you are. I'll keep the details to a minimum.  We’ll save that for part 2 which I may or may not do after canvass Friday. Depends on my mood.

But here is some food for thought.

Consider this if you will in the words of Rod Serling. If we want to escape “The Charlotte Zone” how about this:

If a Republican can’t win in Mecklenburg, then let’s find a well-known, well liked, well financed business leader to run as an Unaffiliated Conservative Candidate not burdened by a damning party label in a city wafting with stench in a cloud of blue. Let’s not run anyone against that person. More to come on this.

The Kobayashi Maru Maneuver

For you non Star Trek fans, this was a Star Fleet training exercise that presented cadets with an absolute no win situation. They must rescue a civilian ship, the Kobayashi Maru, which is stranded in neutral territory but surrounded by the enemy Klingon fleet. To save it would mean certain death for the occupants of both ships and to leave it without action would result in the destruction and death of everyone on the Kobayashi Maru.

James T. Kirk hacked into the program, rewrote it and rescued the ship. So what can be our Kobayashi Maru?

Let’s Think De-Annexation!!

Atlanta has 55 cities with their own government. St. Louis, where I grew up, has over 90 municipalities in St. Louis County. Did you know the City of St. Louis is not technically in a county. It is its own municipality. St. Louis has not elected a Republican mayor since the 1940s. But St. Louis had a solution. Every little hamlet incorporated and became their own city. They created Republican island municipalities. Now that city is still as blue or bluer than Charlotte, but their are pockets where like  minded conservatives gather and live and they do it in relative safety and prosperity compared to those who live in the city proper. It took decades to accomplish this but you have to start somewhere. 

This is sacrilegious to some. I get it. But think of the City of Providence, the City of Rea Farms, The city of Ballantyne, the City of South Park. If you can’t beat them, leave them. Can it be done? Yes, it can and has been. Will it be easy? No. Is it our only hope for the future? In my opinion, yes.

Just think, South Charlotte tax money being used in South Charlotte. What a novel idea. More on this later. 

When you face insurmountable odds and you are in a no win situation, consider changing the scenario. Let’s see, I think I’ll run for mayor of the newly created Piper Rea Glen Woods.

And we don't need 50 or 90 like Atlanta and St. Louis. But what if we had even 4 or 5 more towns like Mint Hill and Cornelius? Start small, win big!

Here’s another idea. Let’s consider putting all of our money and resources into the General Assembly, Judicial, Federal and Council of State Races that we can actually win in 2026. We won't be growing our lead in 2026. Defense and keeping what we have will take a Herculean effort. We can't afford another 2018. I don't surf and that blue wave that looms over us is looking somewhat ominous.

And here are two more ideas.

Stop the circular firing squads in the Republican Party

Change our State Plan of Organization to allow the party to pick a side in Primary races.

Here’s the problem. Anyone can register to vote as a Republican and any person registered as a Republican voter can file to run for office. And we are bound to support them by the Plan of Organization.

I can tell you why that is a very bad idea in just three words.

David Michael Rice.

I could also do it in two words and many of you will get what I’m saying without me saying it. 

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for a follow up. If you get this and want me to take you off the list just shoot me an email. For me, it is a cathartic release. For most, it will be a tedious, boring read. I’ll leave you a final thought.

September 11, 2025

Hello Hornet's Nest Members, all Conservatives and like minded Patriots!

First things first. Charlie Kirk was an American hero! 

He created the movement on our college campuses using his distinctively styled Socratic method to fight against indoctrination and encourage young people to use their God-gifted critical thinking skills.

He challenged them to come to their own conclusions based on scientific data and facts rather than the pontification of those with an agenda contrary to the very tenants upon which our great country was built. And he was good at it. Quite good.

One might argue it was his movement on college campuses that turned the tide of the 2024 election our way. Would we have won without him? I'm glad we don't have to answer that question. But we may have to in a few short years.

 We needed Charlie Kirk. We need the civility he brought to discussions. And now we need someone to pick up the baton and carry on his mission. Inquisitive inquiry had become a lost art on college campuses. He fought to restore that. And it was working. He didn't expect every person to agree with him. He just challenged everyone to come to rational and reasoned conclusions using that inner power of inquisitive inquiry that lives in all of us.

Bryan Taylor sent me the following link and asked me to share it with you. This was Charlie Kirk talking about the senseless murder on the blue line in Charlotte just hours before his assassination. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOb7tuujkDE/?igsh=MTJuMGQ4aTg2Z2x6Nw==

Now, on to some happier things. Because we must continue on and we must fight the good fight. Charlie Kirk would have wanted us to continue being involved.  In that vain, we are calling on all patriots to join us for our annual Hornet's Nest Republican Men's Club BBQ.

The food is great, the fellowship is even better, and the program is outstanding. Come join us for the best candidate and elected official networking event of the season. 

Conservatively Yours,

Ken May

 Introducing “The Buzz”

For those of you who tolerated the Charlotte Observer until you just couldn’t anymore, you might remember one of their fun features that gave “everyday” citizens a chance to comment on the events of the day. It was on the Opinion Page, and it was called “The Buzz”. 

Subscribers were invited to email anonymous pithy statements of no more than 10-25 words that captured the fancy of readers regarding a current event or situation. 

The Buzz was discontinued around 2017, the same time they went from printing letters to the editor from seven days a week to five, then three and now one. Sunday only!! Back then it was a way to start the day off with a little humor. Topics ranged from local politics, to littering, road congestion, football or the crime of the day. Not all were humorous. Some took on more serious subjects. To give you an idea here are a few from those final days of The Buzz – Charlotte Observer version:

- Are you ready for some CTE, I mean, football?

- We have a streetcar no one desires!

- CMS can innovate all it wants, but it won’t replace good parenting

- If Meck County Commissioners were in Manhattan, they would sell Central Park to a developer.

- The Russians didn’t influence my vote, Hillary did!

- Scouting for Girls? Didn’t Boy Scouts always scout for Girls?

Ok, enough of that ancient fun. Hornet’s Nest is introducing “The Buzz” as our seasonal newsletter to keep you up to date on the political scene, especially around election time.

In this premier edition, I have asked Andrew Dunn, a proud Hornet’s Nest member and the publisher of an extraordinary “must read” website and newsletter, Longleaf Politics to give us his thoughts on the importance of Political Clubs to the election process. He is also the conservative guest opinion page contributor to the Charlotte Observer. I hope you enjoy it and subscribe to his newsletter. As a Hornet’s Nest member, you will get a special discount. One of the benefits of membership!! Click on THE BUZZ at the Top Page Menu for his contribution.

Now let’s play some fun with numbers!

Here are a few fun facts about voter trends in North Carolina, Mecklenburg and the upcoming municipal elections. 

Did you know:

There are 7,565, 918 registered voters in North Carolina as of this writing:

2,311,927 Democrats

2,295,542 Republicans

2,908,232 Unaffiliated 

4,082 Green Party

46,135 Libertarians

At the end of 2024, North Carolina also recognized: The Constitution Party, The Justice For All Party, the No Labels Party (a Pat McCrory creation), and the We The People Party.

Since these parties failed to meet the threshold of receiving 2% of the total vote for either governor or president in 2024, there were decertified, and all their members were automatically re-registered as unaffiliated, and it was up to them to remain unaffiliated or change their registration for 2025.

The Green party also failed to meet that threshold but since they had a candidate in 70% of the states for president in 2024, they remain certified for now.

We are projected to take the number two spot and out-register Democrats by the end of 2025. 

3,176,502 Male Voters

3,729,293 Female Voters – 

660,123 are either confused or refused to list their sex on their voter registration.

No matter how you do the math, the path to victory in a statewide race is dependent on the turnout and proclivity of the unaffiliated voter, as the two major parties are about dead even. And women, as always in North Carolina, will decide the ultimate outcomes.

Now let’s take a look at voter registration in Mecklenburg County. It is a very different picture!

317,187 Democrats

156,333 Republicans

327,461 Unaffiliated

5,389 Libertarians

571 Green Party

335,423 Male Voters

402,738 Female Voters

68,780 Confused, Genderless or Refused to answer

Total Voters in Mecklenburg: 806,941

Now let’s take a quick look at historical turnout in Municipal Elections in Mecklenburg:  

10 years ago, we lost the Charlotte Mayor race by less than 5 points. 10 short years ago!! The next one we lost by 18+ points. You can do the math after that.

Over a 50-point differential in two of the last three races.

And when you look at the voter registration numbers, the math just clearly does not work in our favor.

That last time we came within shouting distance of an at large seat was when John Powell lost by 300+ votes in 2015.

And as always it will be about turnout. On average, about 15% of eligible voters turn out for municipal elections. Look at the trends in the above chart. The 2019 turnout was driven by the last referendum for a Sales Tax Increase in Mecklenburg. That referendum called for a ¼ cent increase and it failed 57-43. Surely, a 1% increase request will drive turnout in 2025, and it still unlikely we will exceed 20%. Sad, but true. Also, an opportunity for us. Because, you know, math!

Why is 2025 different? Well, the odds are not in our favor for the Mayor race or an at large seat. It’s that math thing again.

But there is a different mood in our city right now.

The police chief scandal, the rising crime rate, a sheriff’s department rife with discontent, the disfunction of the Democrats on City Council to work together and the inability of our school board to impact any real improvement in student outcomes at all grade levels all work in our favor.

We may not win those seats but even if we get back to the 2015 differential we are sending a message that we are here to stay and we have solutions for our city that the Democrat party-controlled city leadership have not been able to accomplish.

Ed Driggs and Tariq Bokhari have represented us well in the past. Ed is unopposed and will get re-elected. The District 6 seat has a primary and a formidable Democrat for the general election. We must keep that seat!

We have one seat on the school board and if the sun, moon and stars align, we could take four seats in November. It’s a possibility. We have some really good candidates. And the Democrats have done us a favor in three districts by running two Democrats against our Republican candidate.

But you know what, I have to vote. You have to vote. And we have to get out the vote. Turnout will be slightly larger because of the 1% transportation tax referendum. But it won’t be 20%.

If 40% of registered Republicans turn out, we win. We defy all odds. Is it likely? Quite frankly, no, not unless we find a way to get everyone to the polls. The County party, Meck GOP, has a good plan to increase voter turnout. But if we are really going to make a difference each one of us must convince our friends, family and neighbors to go to the polls. There will be no crowds. Your civic duty will honestly take less than half an hour. I voted in the last one on the first day of early voting and I was in and out in less than ten minutes from car door to car door.

So, is it likely, um, no! Can we put some scare into them? You betcha! And maybe, just maybe, at the election party on November 4th, we might hear someone sounding like Al Michaels shout out in disbelief, “Do You Believe In Miracles”. It would ring even sweeter than it did on that magical 1980 night in Lake Placid!

That’s it for now. We will focus on some Union County races in our next edition. See you at the Judicial Palooza event on August 25 and our annual BBQ on Sept 18. Follow this website link for more information.

Conservatively yours,

Ken May

President, Hornet’s Nest Republican Men’s Club