The Notorious 105th District -- An Update

 

Ken McCool

 

Can't stay away from my favorite chew toy -- Tricia Cotham and her continuing ability to retain her House seat in District 105, a heavily gerrymandered, meandering slice of land on the far southeast corner of Mecklenburg. She's famous in a lot of partisan households, and not in a good way -- unless you're a Republican, which she became one of, abruptly and without warning, to provide Speaker Tim Moore and the Republicans the one vote they needed to overturn a veto. Democrats didn't like that.

She's been targeted for an upset before. In '24 Nicole Sidman almost beat her, coming within 213 votes -- one of the closest races in NC that year. This year Cotham's up against former Matthews Town Commissioner Ken McCool (with the cool name!). Now Or Never NC, an independent PAC, has endorsed him and helped him raise money. Indivisible Charlotte has been campaigning for him. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police has formally endorsed him. His Facebook page is a good window into a campaign with energy. He's been an active fundraiser, outpacing Cotham in the 2nd Q, though Cotham naturally already had a sizable war chest. Cotham gets her money disproportionately from PACs and established business/industry organizations, including Duke Energy, automobile dealers, home builders, Realtors, and restaurant/lodging interests. McCool's fundraising comes more from individual donors in small dollar amounts. Transparency USA lists Cotham with $128,596 in total contributions and McCool with $135,412.

McCool has challenged Cotham to a debate. I can't find a Cotham response anywhere. As the incumbent, and according to "incumbent boilerplate," Cotham has no incentive to debate him. Maybe she perceives herself ahead, due to the cool gerrymandering that the General Assembly delivered in 2023 to make her district a little more Republican-friendly. McCool and state Sen. Woodson Bradley, whose Senate District 42 overlaps McCool's House district, have teamed up for joint events including canvasses. They look energetic on Facebook.

Meanwhile, Cotham has been less visible during the buildup to the next two months. She did appear at a Matthews GOP chili cookoff about a week ago in a very serious bandage, a kind of sling from the top of her head down to her chin, obscuring chin, jaws, and ears. Cotham announced in August 2025 that she was scheduled for "major surgery," caused by "complications from previous medical procedures" (details are vague), but whether that dressing a week ago is connected to that surgery is unknown. 

L.M. Dudzik very recently published a piece titled "Lessons Learned From Lies: Tricia Cotham Turned Her Back on Us" and used the "turncoat" label to make an important policy point:

Cotham had identified herself as pro-choice. She later provided the decisive vote to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of North Carolina’s new abortion restrictions.

She told Equality NC she supported allowing transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. In April 2023, she voted for the so-called Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, restricting transgender girls’ participation in girls’ school sports. When Cooper vetoed it, she voted to override him.

Cotham voted for legislation restricting gender-affirming healthcare for minors. When Cooper vetoed that bill, she voted to override him too.

Can the McCool kid (he is very young) overtake her in November? He has an active campaign underway. I hope he has door-knockers in abundance. Meanwhile, Cotham's apparent absence from the campaign trail can't be helping any "enthusiasm gaps." The Civitas Partisan Index rates Dist. 105 as R+0 -- pure toss-up -- that zero providing another hilarious metaphor for maybe flabby prospects.