Skip to content
Elections Simplified

Tricia Cotham

Republican · NC · North Carolina State Representative, District 105

Tricia Cotham is a North Carolina state representative from Mecklenburg County, first appointed to the House in 2007 and re-elected repeatedly as a Democrat through 2014; a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher and assistant principal, she co-chaired a House K-12 education subcommittee and later co-founded a lobbying firm. Elected again as a Democrat in 2022, she switched to the Republican Party in April 2023, giving Republicans a veto-proof House supermajority, and now represents District 105. She holds degrees from UNC Charlotte and UNC Chapel Hill. She won the March 2026 Republican primary with about 85% and faces Democrat Ken McCool in November.

Track record

Women's Reproductive Rights

· 2 records

  • Cast one of the deciding votes on May 16, 2023 to override Governor Cooper's veto of Senate Bill 20, enacting North Carolina's ban on most abortions after 12 weeks; the House override passed 72-48 with no votes to spare.

    May 16, 2023Against

    Source: pbs.org · researched July 3, 2026

  • As a Democratic representative in 2015, disclosed her own abortion on the House floor while speaking against abortion restrictions, and in early 2023 co-sponsored legislation to codify Roe v. Wade protections before her party switch.

    May 16, 2023For

    Source: cnn.com · researched July 3, 2026

General

· 1 record

  • Switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party in April 2023, months after winning her seat as a Democrat, giving House Republicans a veto-proof supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly.

    April 5, 2023

    Source: myfox8.com · researched July 3, 2026

Elections

Profile last researched July 3, 2026.