Mayor pro tem upsets mayor in Charlotte primary

Mayor Pro Tem Viv Lyles defeated Mayor Jennifer Roberts and three other Democrats in Charlotte’s municipal election primary. Lyles will now face Republican Kenny Smith in the November election:

Roberts, who ran a Spanish-language TV ad, tapped into her connections with Charlotte’s immigrant community. Recent donors included Hilda Gurdian, publisher La Noticia, and Astrid Chirinos, chief executive of the Latin American Economic Development Corp.

The mayor who became the face of the anti-discrimination ordinance that prompted HB2, also found support from the LGBT community.

…But Lyles appealed to Democrats such as Addie Pettice, 81, a retired city employee.

“I think she needs an opportunity to let the city know what she can do and what she’s capable of,” said Pettice.

But–as with many municipal elections–the results have to be taken with the usual grain of salt—voter turnout in North Carolina’s largest city was 8 percent.