2017 Charlotte mayoral election

The 2017 Charlotte mayoral election took place on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Party primary elections were held on Tuesday, September 12, 2017. Second-round primaries would have been held on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, if they had been necessary, but both primary winners received more than the minimum 40 percent of the vote needed to avoid a runoff.^[1] The incumbent, Democrat Jennifer Roberts, was eligible to run for a second two-year term. She ran but lost the Democratic nomination in the primary. Two members of the City Council, Democrat Vi Lyles and Republican Kenny Smith, won the primaries and advanced to face each other in the general election.^[2] Vi Lyles defeated Kenny Smith in the general election, and became the 59th mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina.

2017 Charlotte mayoral election

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Nominee Vi Lyles Kenny Smith Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 72,073 49,652 Percentage 59.15% 40.75%

Precinct results Lyles:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Smith:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Tie:      40%      No data

Mayor before election Jennifer Roberts Democratic Elected Mayor Vi Lyles Democratic

Background

Jennifer Roberts, a former Mecklenburg County commissioner, was elected to her first term in 2015 when she defeated Republican Edwin Peacock III, a former Charlotte City Councilman.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Jennifer Roberts, incumbent^[3]
• Joel Ford, North Carolina State Senator^[3]
• Vi Lyles, Charlotte City Councilwoman^[4]
• Constance Partee-Johnson^[5]
• Lucille Puckett ^[6]

Declined

• David Howard, former Charlotte City Councilman^[3]

Endorsements

Jennifer Roberts

• Human Rights Campaign^[7]
• MeckPAC^[8]
• Equality NC^[9]
• New South Progressives
• Sierra Club^[10]
• Southern Piedmont Central Labor Council^[11]
• Unite Here Local 23 North Carolina Chapter^[12]

Joel Ford

• Charlotte Fire Fighters Association^[13]
• Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition^[14]

Vi Lyles

• Black Political Caucus^[15]
• Democracy for America^[16]
• The Charlotte Post^[17]
• The Charlotte Observer^[18]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Jennifer Roberts (D)	Joel Ford (D)	Vi Lyles (D)	Constance Partee-Johnson (D)	Other	Undecided
Lake Research Partners^[19]	June 1–4, 2017	400	± 4.9%	35%	15%	21%	–	–	28%

Results

Democratic primary results^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Vi Lyles	15,805	46.13%
	Democratic	Jennifer Roberts (incumbent)	12,412	36.23%
	Democratic	Joel Ford	5,466	15.95%
	Democratic	Constance Partee-Johnson	311	0.91%
	Democratic	Lucille Puckett	268	0.78%
Total votes			34,262	100.0%

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Kimberley Paige Barnette,^[21] former magistrate^[22]
  • Barnette garnered controversy in September 2017 when her Facebook page briefly described herself as "Republican $ Smart, White, Traditional." The controversy garnered national attention.^[23]
• Gary M. Dunn, candidate for Democratic nomination in 2013^[21]
• Kenny Smith, Charlotte City Councilman^[24]

Endorsements

Kenny Smith

• Fraternal Order of Police ^[25]
• The Charlotte Observer ^[26]

Results

Republican primary results^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kenny Smith	7,912	88.63%
	Republican	Gary M. Dunn	553	6.19%
	Republican	Kimberley Paige Barnette	462	5.18%
Total votes			8,927	100.0%

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Vi Lyles (D)	Kenny Smith (R)	Undecided
SurveyUSA	October 18–21, 2017	517	± 4.4%	41%	40%	19%

Results

2017 Charlotte mayoral election^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Vi Lyles	72,073	59.15%
	Republican	Kenny Smith	49,652	40.75%
	Write-in		132	0.11%
Total votes			121,857	100.0%^[a]
	Democratic hold

Notes

1. The percentage of votes above don't add up to 100% due to rounding.

References

1. "Multi Year Election Schedule". Mecklenburg County Government. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
2. Charlotte Observer: Vi Lyles stuns Roberts, faces Kenny Smith for Charlotte mayor
3. Spanberg, Erik (November 30, 2016). "Thought election season was over in Charlotte? Mayor's race getting an early start". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
4. Boyd, Paul (February 3, 2017). "Councilman Smith leads way with most money in mayoral race". WSOC-TV. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
5. Harrison, Steve (June 20, 2017). "In mayoral debate, Jennifer Roberts and Vi Lyles play nice". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
6. Candidates
7. Harrison, Steve (August 23, 2017). "LGBT groups make their picks for Charlotte mayor, council". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
8. . Archived from the original on April 30, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
9. "We're Sorry". EqualityNC.
10. Sierra Club Endorses Jennifer Roberts for Mayor of Charlotte Sierra Club. Retrieved January 25, 2023
11. . splabor.org. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
12. . Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
13. . Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
14. . Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
15. Morrill, Jim (May 22, 2017). "Black Political Caucus has endorsed a mayoral candidate. How will it shape the primary?". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
16. "Democracy for America : Our Candidates". democracyforamerica.com.
17. Charlotte Post Editorial Board (August 31, 2017). "The Post endorses Vi Lyles in Democratic mayoral primary Experience and leadership earns support". The Charlotte Post. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
18. The Charlotte Observer Editorial Board (August 23, 2017). "Who we like in the Charlotte mayor's race, and why". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
19. White, Herbert (June 20, 2017). "Poll: Mayor Roberts leads Lyles and Ford in Democratic campaign". The Charlotte Post. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
20. "NC SBE Contest Results". er.ncsbe.gov.
21. "Candidate filling". dl.ncsbe.gov. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
22. "LinkedIn". Retrieved January 25, 2023.
23. Savransky, Rebecca (September 6, 2017). "Candidate for Charlotte mayor puts 'white' among qualifications". The Hill. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
24. Harrison, Steve (March 9, 2017). "Kenny Smith formally announces mayoral bid with swipes at Mayor Roberts". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
25. Harrison, Steve (September 28, 2017). "HB2 used to dominate the city's agenda. Now it barely registers with voters". The Charlotte Observer.
26. "All the Observer's picks for Charlotte's primary races". The Charlotte Observer. September 11, 2017.
27. "11/07/2017 OFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS - MECKLENBURG". North Carolina State Board of Elections. from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.