The North Carolina Democratic Party is watching its influence erode from within as yet another veteran lawmaker walks away, underscoring a growing revolt by minority legislators who refuse to submit to the partys hard-left orthodoxy.
According to RedState, the latest defection comes from seven-term state House member Nasif Majeed of Mecklenburg County, who has changed his registration from Democrat to unaffiliated just weeks after losing his March primary. His move follows the high-profile exit of fellow Mecklenburg legislator Carla Cunningham, the District 106 representative who also shifted to unaffiliated status after what she described as months of abandonment by party leaders, including Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, culminating in a bitter primary defeat earlier this year.
Cunninghams fall from grace within her own party began last July, when she committed the apparent unforgivable sin of voting her conscience on a key public-safety measure. She joined Republicans to override Steins veto of a bill requiring stronger cooperation and coordination between county sheriffs and federal immigration enforcement agencies, providing the single vote Republicans needed to secure the veto-proof margin in the House.
Her willingness to side with law enforcement and border-security advocates rather than the partys open-borders wing made her a marked woman in Democratic circles. The message from party power brokers was unmistakable: step out of line on core ideological issues, and you will be politically destroyed, no matter how long or loyally you have served.
Majeed, who represented House District 99, soon found himself in similar crosshairs for occasionally breaking ranks with the progressive agenda. He was one of two other House Democrats who, like Cunningham, sometimes strayed from the party line and were promptly targeted and defeated in the March primaries, despite generally voting with Democrats on most issues.
His most notable offense, in the eyes of the partys activist base, was his participation in another July veto override, this time on House Bill 805, a measure that struck directly at the heart of the lefts gender ideology project. As one summary of the bill highlighted, The highlights of HB 805 include: ? Stating only two sexes (male & female) ? No taxpayer funded gender transitions ? Parental control in schools and libraries #ncpol.
For daring to support biological reality and parental rights over radical gender politics, Majeed was swiftly vilified by the self-described party of tolerance. He was ultimately ousted in the primary by newcomer Veleria Levy, a result that sent a clear signal to any remaining moderates that dissent on cultural issues would not be tolerated.
Majeed later explained that his decision to side with Republicans on the veto override was rooted not in partisanship but in deeply held beliefs. I had some moral issues about that, and I had to lean on my values, he said, underscoring that his vote reflected personal conviction rather than political calculation.
He was also among 18 House Democrats who supported Irynas Law, another measure that did not sit well with the partys increasingly ideological leadership. Like Cunningham, Majeed did not make a habit of bucking his caucus, but when he did, it was on issues where conscience and common sense clashed with progressive dogma.
In the wake of the March primaries, speculation swirled around Raleigh about whether Cunningham, Majeed, and District 23 Rep. Shelly Willinghamanother Democrat who lost his primarywould respond by aligning more frequently with Republicans in their final year, by changing parties, or both. On Monday, Majeed answered part of that question by formally leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an unaffiliated voter and legislator.
While his public statement was more restrained than Cunninghams blunt criticism, Majeed still offered a pointed indictment of what he has seen behind the scenes. Our community deserves leadership that is honest, accountable, and respectful of the democratic process, he wrote, signaling that his concerns go beyond mere policy disagreements.
I have witnessed and experienced actions within the political landscape that I believe could be perceived as misleading or inconsistent with the spirit of fair elections, Majeed continued. I cannot, in good conscience, remain aligned where those concerns are not adequately addressed.
Though he did not provide granular detail, Majeed made clear that his decision was driven by growing concerns about political practices that, in his view, do not align with the level of transparency and ethical conduct that voters deserve. He further suggested that certain campaign-related strategies and tactics observed in recent election cycles raised serious questions, a polite but unmistakable rebuke of his partys internal machinery.
His departure drew immediate attention in state political circles, with one observer noting, NEW: Another NC lawmaker is leaving the Democratic party. Nasif Majeed, who lost his primary in March: I have witnessed and experienced actions within the political landscape that I believe could be perceived as misleading or inconsistent with the spirit of fair elections Another reaction captured the shock within Mecklenburg politics: Holy smokesanother Mecklenburg Democrat is jumping ship. Nasif Majeed has switched to unaffiliated, just days after Rep. Carla Cunningham made the same move on Friday. #ncpol #ncga.
A third summary underscored the broader trend: North Carolina state representative Nasif Majeed has left the Democratic Party and is now registered as unaffiliated. Majeed is the second member of the North Carolina House of Representatives to leave the Democratic Party after Carla Cunningham. For Republicans, who have long argued that Democrats are out of step with mainstream voters, the optics could hardly be better.
What makes these developments even more politically explosive is the demographic profile of those being pushed out or driven away. All three House Democrats targeted on the primary ballotCunningham, Majeed, and Willinghamare people of color, a fact that undercuts the lefts constant rhetoric about being the natural home for minority voters and leaders.
One widely shared post during last years veto fights highlighted the dynamic: NC House Speaker Destin Hall has said the GOP would operate with a functioning supermajority despite being 1 seat short. He was right. Today, Republicans are overriding Gov. Josh Stein's vetoes with help from Democrats: Carla Cunningham, Shelly Willingham, and Nasif Majeed. Those cross-party votes, particularly from black legislators, clearly did not sit well with Democratic strategists intent on enforcing ideological discipline.
This is not the first time North Carolina Democrats have turned on a black lawmaker who dared to think independently. Former state Sen. Joel Ford, who occasionally sided with Republicans on issues such as voter ID and charter schools, once remarked that [Democrats] turned on me like a wild pack of dogs, adding that the most dangerous thing a Democrat can be today is an independent thinker."
That danger is magnified when the independent thinker is a minority, as Ford, the three primary-targeted House Democrats, and another legislator who switched parties in 2023 have all discovered. The pattern suggests that diversity of thought is far less welcome in todays Democratic Party than the leaderships talking points would suggest.
Cunninghams and Majeeds exits follow that of Rep. Tricia Cotham, who left the Democratic Party in April 2023 and registered as a Republican, instantly handing the GOP a veto-proof supermajority in the General Assembly through the end of 2024. Democrats have been trying, and failing, to politically punish and unseat her ever since, but her move has allowed Republicans to advance a conservative agenda on life, education, and public safety with far less obstruction.
The reaction from state Democratic leadership to these departures has done little to dispel the perception of a party more interested in enforcing conformity than in listening to dissenting voices, especially from minority communities. When Cunningham walked away, NC Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton responded with a flippant social-media jab: Dont let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya, as they say! ??
For a party that endlessly lectures the country about respect, inclusion, and protecting democracy, such dismissive rhetoric toward long-serving black lawmakers is telling. As more minority legislators and voters see how quickly Democrats turn on those who deviate from progressive orthodoxy on immigration, gender ideology, and parental rights, the exodus from the partys ranks may only accelerateand Republicans, armed with a functioning supermajority and a message of law, order, and individual conscience, stand ready to welcome them.
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