Charlotte state Rep. Nasif Majeed, fresh off a March primary loss to challenger Veleria Levy, has walked away from the Democratic Party and his old voter registration all at once. Earlier this week, he switched his status from Democrat to unaffiliated and says he is not caucusing with either party right now.
He is not alone. Fellow Mecklenburg lawmaker Rep. Carla Cunningham made the same move just days earlier, and both say they plan to serve out their remaining terms as unaffiliated. Their well-timed exits are already giving number-crunchers in Raleigh headaches as lawmakers eye high-profile veto-override fights later this year.
Why Majeed Says He Walked Away
Majeed is framing the break as a stand for “principle, transparency and accountability,” and Mecklenburg County voter records confirm his registration has flipped to Unaffiliated, according to The Charlotte Observer. The paper also reported his March primary loss to Levy and noted that no Republican or unaffiliated candidate filed to face her in November, leaving Levy virtually guaranteed to take the seat.
Still on the Fence About Caucusing
For now, Majeed is keeping both parties guessing. He told The News & Observer on Wednesday that he is “indecisive at this point” about how he will caucus and is “contemplating my moves and consulting with different people.”
House Speaker Destin Hall, who suddenly has two wild cards on his hands, told The News & Observer he has not had substantive conversations with either Majeed or Cunningham about which caucus they might join or how they could vote on specific bills.
Override Drama Gets an Extra Plot Twist
The pair’s departures inject fresh uncertainty into whether Republicans can reach the two-thirds threshold needed to override Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes on measures like new limits on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and changes to gun-carry rules, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Republican leaders have, at times, leaned on crossover help from Democrats such as Majeed and Cunningham to squeak out veto overrides. Those votes drew plenty of blowback from within their own party, criticism that helped fuel the primary challenges both lawmakers ended up facing.
What Comes Next in Raleigh
Majeed told ABC11 that “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me,” and said he plans to “take it as it comes” on any votes where he might be asked to side with one party over the other.
So far, local coverage indicates both he and Cunningham intend to stay put in their House seats as unaffiliated members through the end of the year, while leaders in both parties quietly assess whether and how to court their votes.
For the moment, lawmakers, lobbyists and activists are watching to see whether Majeed and Cunningham eventually line up with a caucus or keep voting from the middle. Their decisions over the coming weeks could decide the fate of several controversial bills that might get one last shot at veto overrides before the session wraps. WFAE and other local outlets note that the next floor fights will show just how much sway a single lawmaker can have in Raleigh.
