{"id":2450,"date":"2026-06-29T17:37:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2450"},"modified":"2026-06-29T17:37:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:37:06","slug":"malcolm-graham-wont-run-for-city-council-next-year-considering-run-for-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2450","title":{"rendered":"Malcolm Graham won\u2019t run for City Council next year, considering run for mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham<\/a> is either running for mayor next year or not running at all, he said at a press conference Monday.<\/p>\n

Read more Latest \u2018scandal\u2019 in NC\u2019s Senate race worsens Whatley\u2019s authenticity problem | Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n

Graham told reporters he created a committee to explore a potential mayoral run and will have a decision within the next two to three months. He represents District 2 in northwest Charlotte<\/a> and parts of uptown but is ready for a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow is the time to kind of pass that along to someone else and let them kind of pick up the baton for District 2 and take it the rest of the way,\u201d Graham said, adding, \u201cI\u2019m not done with public office yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graham first served on the council from 1999 until 2005, when voters elected him to the state Senate. He worked in the General Assembly for 10 years before losing a bid for Congress.<\/p>\n

He returned to the City Council in 2019 at Lyles\u2019 encouragement, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I ran for District 2, I made a promise to the community that I would represent the entire community, not only District 2, but the city as a whole. And I think I\u2019ve kinda done that in terms of trying to make district issues city priorities,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n

Graham is one of several council members expected to run<\/a> next year, alongside District 1 councilwoman Dante Anderson, at-large councilwomen Dimple Ajmera and Victoria Watlington and Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell.<\/p>\n

Read more Trendy bagel shop opens soon in Plaza Midwood. Here\u2019s when<\/a><\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s seat will be open for the first time in a decade next year after Mayor Vi Lyles\u2019 surprise resignation<\/a> announcement about quarter of the way through her fifth term. Her last day in office is Tuesday, and Robert Harrington will be sworn in<\/a> as her successor Wednesday.<\/p>\n

State law tasked the City Council with appointing a replacement to finish out Lyles\u2019 term ending in December 2027. The council opened public applications with a nonbinding expectation<\/a> that whoever it selected would not run for the seat next year.<\/p>\n

Mitchell was the only council member who applied for the job and committed not to run if his colleagues chose him. Graham didn\u2019t apply because he didn\u2019t want to make that commitment, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously I\u2019m very curious about the opportunity to run for public office. I enjoy the work. I know the work real well,\u201d Graham said. \u201cNo major announcement to make today other than the fact that I probably will not be running in District 2 in 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Charlotte boy dies in mountain creek known for being unpredictable, NC sheriff says<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 12:13 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Malcolm Graham, who represent District 2 on Charlotte City Council, said he will either run for Charlotte mayor next year or won\u2019t run for office at all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nMalcolm Graham won\u2019t run for City Council next year, considering run for mayor - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2450\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Malcolm Graham won\u2019t run for City Council next year, considering run for mayor - 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