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Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, cruised to reelection Tuesday, capturing more than 70% of the vote over Republican challenger Terrie Donovan, with nearly all ballots counted, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
The result extends Democrats’ long dominance in North Carolina’s largest city, which hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since former Gov. Pat McCrory left office in 2009, according to WFAE.
Lyles’ decisive win comes despite the controversy surrounding the August murder of Iryna Zarutska on the city’s Lynx Blue Line train.
Zarutska, 23, a Ukrainian refugee, was sitting on the train after her work shift when she was randomly and violently stabbed to death. Video of her killing went viral and reignited debate about public safety in Charlotte.
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Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, a man with a long criminal record and more than a dozen arrests, was charged with her murder.
After the attack, Lyles emphasized the suspect’s mental health issues and homelessness rather than his criminal history. Republicans said the remarks showed that the mayor and other Democrats are too lenient toward repeat offenders.
In a statement after the Aug. 22 killing and Brown’s arrest, Lyles said: “Tragic incidents like these should force us to look at what we are doing across our community to address root causes.”
“We will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health,” she wrote, according to The Associated Press.
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Lyles later acknowledged that she “wished that she had addressed the community… much sooner,” according to WBTV.
The mayor also faced criticism over a $305,000 separation package paid to outgoing Charlotte Police Chief Johnny Jennings, which drew a state audit for its alleged lack of transparency and use of public funds.
Along with her reelection, Lyles scored another victory Tuesday as voters approved a transportation sales tax she had championed for years to fund billions in road, bus and rail projects. She previously won reelection in 2023 with 74% of the vote.
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Four Democrat incumbents also won the City Council’s four at-large seats.
Donovan, a real estate agent, had made crime her top issue even before the killing.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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