Second Mecklenburg lawmaker leaves Democratic Party after primary loss

A second Mecklenburg County state House member is leaving the Democratic Party after losing a reelection bid in the spring primary.

Last week, Rep. Carla Cunningham announced she was changing her voter registration from Democrat to unaffiliated. Cunningham lost her Democratic primary in March after Gov. Josh Stein, a fellow Democrat, endorsed her opponent, Rodney Sadler. Progressive groups had called for Cunningham to be ousted after she sided with Republicans to override some of Stein’s vetoes.

On Monday, Rep. Nasif Majeed said he is also switching his registration from Democrat to unaffiliated after losing his primary to Veleria Levy. In a statement, Majeed said that as an independent, he is “free to evaluate each issue on its merits and advocate without constraint.”

Majeed had voted with Republicans to override Stein’s veto of a bill stating that North Carolina recognizes only two sexes and genders.

Both Cunningham and Majeed will continue to serve in the General Assembly until the end of the year.

State Rep. Robert Reives, the Democratic leader in the House, said he will continue to work with both and that he expects they will continue to vote according to their values.

The NC GOP responded on X with a meme.