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
November 7, 2017
 
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

Elections in North Carolina
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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

Declared

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

Endorsements
Jennifer Roberts
Joel Ford
  • Charlotte Fire Fighters Association[13]
  • Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition[14]
Vi Lyles

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

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

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%[lower-alpha 1]
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. "2017 Charlotte Mayoral & City Council Endorsements | MeckPAC". 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. "September Primary Endorsements Announced | Southern Piedmont Central Labor Council". splabor.org. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  12. "Jennifer Roberts For Mayor". Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  13. "Charlotte Firefighters Endorse Joel Ford for Mayor". Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  14. "REBIC Announces Endorsements for Charlotte City Council Primary | REBIC - In the Loop". 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. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
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