Mecklenburg GOP won’t field District 1 candidate after shooting forced withdrawal
Mecklenburg Republicans will head into November without a candidate for a county commission seat after party leaders said the unresolved shooting at their former nominee’s home made it impossible to find someone willing to replace him.
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Aaron Marin, the Republican nominee for Mecklenburg County Commission District 1, dropped out of the race in March, about five weeks after someone fired multiple rounds at his Huntersville home while Marin, his wife and their two young sons were inside. Mecklenburg GOP Chair Kyle Kirby told The Charlotte Observer this week that party officials called a meeting to select another nominee. But no Republican agreed to put their name forward, Kirby said, and the deadline to replace Marin has since passed.
“We did convene an executive committee meeting in hope and expectation of there being a replacement for him,” Kirby said. “But again, because of the situation as it is, with no resolution being brought to the shooting, there is no one willing to stick their neck out.”
As a result, the Republican Party will not have a candidate in District 1 this fall.
Marin will not appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections confirmed Thursday. Democrat Morris “Mac” McAdoo will be the only candidate listed in the District 1 contest, virtually guaranteeing him victory.
District 1 covers much of northern Mecklenburg County, including Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and portions of Charlotte. The seat is open this year because Democratic Commissioner Elaine Powell is not seeking another term. McAdoo, an attorney, emerged from a three-candidate Democratic primary in March.
The shooting at Marin’s home happened Feb. 16. Huntersville police said afterward investigators believed the gunfire was targeted rather than random. The FBI was brought in to assist with the investigation. Nobody inside the home was hurt, though bullets damaged property outside.
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Marin initially remained in the race. When he withdrew in March, however, he said the shooting and the continuing uncertainty surrounding the investigation upended life for his family.
He said at the time he was leaving the race “as a direct result of this incident and the ongoing lack of resolution.”
“We are now living displaced, in fear, and under constant stress,” Marin said in March. “Our children are carrying emotional trauma that continues to deepen with each passing day without answers or accountability.”
Kirby said the circumstances also affected Republicans who might otherwise have considered replacing Marin on the ballot.
“You put a lot on the line when you become a political candidate, and it’s not just you; it’s your whole family running for office,” Kirby said. “When you have put your name, your address, your political beliefs out there for public consumption, and then you’re met with violence like Aaron was met with, I can understand where that would have a chilling effect on somebody trying to live their life in a community like this.”
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