Yet another Democrat has decided to ditch their party in favor of ending their affiliation with a political entity that no longer shares and promotes values they believe to be important. Rep. Carla Cunningham, a longtime lawmaker hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, who has earned a reputation for being a thorn in the side of her now-former party due to being willing to cast her vote with the GOP to override vetoes, is striking out on her own.
Cunningham is now registered as Unaffiliated. The lawmaker released a statement explaining her decision to leave the Democratic Party. “I have been a Democrat all my life, but I came to realize that I want to serve the people, not a party. Being an independent thinker does not align with party politics, and I will never compromise the needs of my constituents to satisfy a political agenda.”
The North Carolina Unaffiliated lawmaker’s decision came just two months after those same constituents voted to boot Cunningham in a Democratic Party primary race. Her challenger, Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler received a total of 70% of the votes in the contest, compared to Cunningham’s 22%. Cunningham’s decision also comes as the first week of the General Assembly’s short session.
According to WUNC, her decision to leave the party will have no impact on the balance of power in the North Carolina House of Representatives, where the GOP currently holds 71 out of 120 seats. As it stands right now, the Republican Party is just one vote shy of having the ability to override Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes in the chamber.
Cunningham’s departure could end up playing a role in whether the veto pen is effective. The GOP holds a supermajority in the North Carolina State Senate. The North Carolina lawmaker revealed that the decision to leave the party is not something she decided to do on a whim. In fact, she revealed that it’s something she has been weighing out for four years. In the press release concerning the decision, Cunningham blamed Stein and the Democratic Party for a “troubling wave of hostility” directed at her.
During the 2025 long session, the former Democrat was seen standing outside in the hallway of a Democratic Party caucus meeting, fists clenched and visibly upset. She is currently serving her seventh term in the House. Cunningham is a registered nurse who has been extremely active in the realm of healthcare policy.
Cunningham once voted to override vetoes that required sheriffs to cooperate more closely with immigration enforcement officials, a law that repealed Duke Energy’s 2030 carbon dioxide emissions reduction target, and a piece of legislation control concerning rules that were passed by state agencies that were projected to have an economic impact of $20 million over the next five years.
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The lawmaker received a ton of blacklash after making comments in summer 2025 during a debate on House Bill 318, legislation related to the issue of immigration. She went on to say, “All cultures are not equal. Some immigrants come and believe they can function in isolation, refusing to adapt. I suggest they must assimilate. Adapt to the culture they wish to live in.”
Cunningham has repeatedly stated that she believes illegal aliens are sucking up resources that should be kept aside for citizens who are struggling economically. “We have a moral obligation to place the needs of struggling Americans above all competing agendas; including policies that would extend the resources and protections of this government to those who have entered this country unlawfully, at the expense of citizens who have long been underserved,” Cunningham’s statement read.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video