Observer endorsements: Our choices in Mecklenburg races for US House
Mecklenburg County’s three congressional races are not particularly competitive, even in an election cycle as turbulent as this one.
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Nonetheless, they are occurring in a consequential moment. People across North Carolina are hurting as a result of policies that have strained finances, cut essential services and threatened livelihoods. They are frustrated by the broken promises of an administration that seems more focused on vanity projects and personal glory than the needs of everyday people. Most importantly, these North Carolinians want their elected officials to do something about it.
Here are our recommendations in contested races:
Rep. Mark Harris is running for a second term in this solidly Republican district, which dips into the southeastern portion of Mecklenburg County before spanning east. His Democratic opponent is Colby Watson, a small-business owner running a grassroots campaign.
Harris is a Republican in a Republican district, but that is not reason enough for him to remain in office. It’s not because we disagree with his views on most issues, though we do. It’s not even because he has allowed President Donald Trump to run roughshod over our democracy, though he has. It is because Harris is not serving the people of his district.
Voters in the 8th Congressional District are not better off because Harris is their congressman. He proudly voted for Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which could leave an estimated 37,000 of his constituents uninsured and 29,000 constituents at risk of losing food assistance. Farmers in his district are squeezed by Trump’s tariffs and trade wars, which Harris supports. Harris also voted against a resolution directing Trump to end the war in Iran, even as households in his district are paying more for gas and utilities because of it.
Harris has shown little if any independence from the president, even and especially when the well-being of those in his district demands it. The only constituent he seems to care about is Donald Trump. That is a failure of leadership, and it is why we cannot recommend him for another term.
The 12th Congressional District encompasses the bulk of Charlotte’s city limits and is overwhelmingly Democratic. The incumbent, Rep. Alma Adams, is running for a seventh full term.
The Republican candidate, Jack Codiga, has a conservative platform with a strong libertarian flair. Some of his views are short-sighted, but he raises important points about accountability and our broken political system, as well as larger issues like the growing affordability crisis and election reform. We agree with him that Trump has not served voters well, and we credit his willingness to say so.
Adams continues to be a capable leader advocating for Charlotte in Congress, particularly on issues of higher education, housing and maternal health. She is a visible, hands-on legislator who stays active in Washington and throughout the district. We recommend Adams.
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This R+8 district snakes from northern Mecklenburg County down to south Charlotte and into western North Carolina. Incumbent Tim Moore, who is seeking a second term, is challenged by LaKesha Womack, a smart and thoughtful minister and community advocate.
Like Harris, Moore may share his party affiliation with many voters in his district, but that does not mean he represents them well. He, too, has enabled policies that are hurting his district. He voted for legislation that will likely end Medicaid expansion, just two years after he oversaw its passage as state House speaker. He supports the war in Iran and has justified the “short-term pain” of tariffs by saying the higher prices are worth paying if they create more jobs, but those jobs have not come.
While people across his district are hurting as a result of Trump’s economic and trade policies, Moore has profited from them by playing the stock market. He made hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock trades in the days before and after Trump’s tariff announcements, and has invested large sums in an investment fund that will earn him money when the stock market falters. None of that is illegal, but it offers little reassurance that Moore is interested in serving anyone but himself.
More importantly, this is a diverse district that includes everything from rural communities to rapidly growing suburbs and predominantly Black communities in Charlotte’s “crescent.” Moore has shown he is not willing to represent all of it, especially the more than 40% of constituents who did not vote for him in 2024. Voters should think twice before electing Moore to another term.
Womack is a viable alternative, even for GOP voters, because she hasn’t run a particularly partisan campaign. Instead, she is focused on the issues affecting voters on both sides of the aisle right now, including the rising cost of housing and health care. She also has a valuable background in economic development that would serve a largely rural district well. She understands the diversity of the district, and unlike Moore, she is willing to listen to and represent everyone in it — including those she disagrees with. She’s also willing to work with colleagues across the aisle in Congress, because she believes “compromise is not a dirty word.”
We recommend Womack.
Members of the combined Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News & Observer editorial boards are conducting interviews and research of candidates in municipal and state elections. The combined board is led by N.C. Opinion Editor Peter St. Onge, who is joined in Charlotte by deputy Opinion editor Paige Masten. Board members also include Observer editor Matt Leclercq and News & Observer editor Nicole Stockdale.
The editorial board also talks with others who know the candidates and have worked with them. When we’ve completed our interviews and research, we discuss each race and decide on our endorsements.
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