Democratic Rep. Carla Cunningham changed her political affiliation, confirming her rift with her party after losing the primary, something that could have implications in the current short session of the Legislature where Republicans need only one additional vote to reach the supermajority and override the governor’s vetoes.
Cunningham is now listed as an independent on his voter registration, as shown on the North Carolina Board of Elections website, as was first reported by journalist Brett Jensen of WTB News on Friday afternoon.
The legislator, who has represented Mecklenburg County’s 106th district for 14 years, later issued a statement explaining her reasons after the news broke.
“I have been a Democrat all my life, but I came to realize that I want to serve the people, not a party. Being an independent thinker does not align with party politics, and I will never compromise the needs of my constituents to satisfy a political agenda,” she said in a statement to the media.
The press office of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives also reacted to the news.
“Rep. Cunningham has always put her constituents first and trusted her own judgment, even under pressure from her party,” the House press office posted in X. “Now, her independence is official. We look forward to continuing to work with her during this session.”
The statement suggests that Cunningham could vote with the Republican majority as she has done in the past, which caused her to lose the endorsement of Democratic Governor Josh Stein and consequently the March primary elections to Rev. Rodney Sadler.
In July 2025, Cunningham gave the decisive vote to override the governor’s veto and sign into law the anti-immigrant bill HB318, which requires all sheriffs in the state to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In the current short legislative session that began this week, there are seven other bills vetoed by the governor in the calendar. They are currently awaiting a vote in the House of Representatives to override the vetoes.
Among those bills there is another anti-immigrant bill, SB153, which seeks to force several state agencies such as the North Carolina Highway Patrol to collaborate with ICE.
Cunningham voted against SB153 during previous debates, but it is unknown whether she will change her stance now that she is an independent and serving her last session after losing the primary.
In early April, Cunningham had already shown disenchantment with the Democrats. In an interview with Jensen on WTB, she criticized Governor Stein for endorsing her electoral opponent.
“Josh Stein’s endorsement of my opponent was never about immigration. It’s about power. It’s about telling us, ‘If you don’t do what we tell you to do, we’re going to kick you off the plantation,'” Cunningham said, referring to his background as a descendant of slaves. “I’m not there. I’m free.”
As of Monday, April 27, Cunningham was listed as unaffiliated on the state Legislature’s website.
Cunningham is not the first Democrat to leave the party. In April 2023, Rep. Tricia Cotham announced she was joining the Republican caucus and that move gave Republicans the supermajority to override then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes.
