Democrats face off in NC99 primary as incumbent votes to overturn governor vetoes

CHARLOTTE — Two Democrats are facing off in the fight for the General Assembly seat representing the northeast Charlotte area.

Rep. Nasif Majeed faces a primary challenge from health care advocate Veleria Levy for the North Carolina House District 99 seat. The campaign has focused on Majeed’s decision to side with Republicans on two high-profile veto overrides regarding energy policy and gender-related legislation.

District 99 includes northeast Charlotte, University City and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Majeed, the incumbent who has represented the area since 2019, is a veteran and former City Council member. He is seeking reelection based on his legislative experience.

But Levy, a longtime health care advocate and former executive director of the North Carolina AIDS Action Network, argues the district requires a new representative whose votes align more closely with Democratic Party leadership and Gov. Josh Stein.

The Power Bill Reduction Act removed North Carolina’s interim climate goals, which required a 70% reduction in emissions by 2030. The legislation also changed regulations to allow Duke Energy to charge customers earlier for power plant projects. Majeed voted to overturn Stein’s veto. He argued the vote was necessary to ensure energy stability for incoming industries and data centers.

“We had to have a little forward thinking at same time, push those goals back by five years and still hit the 2050 goals,” Majeed said.

Levy criticized the financial impact on residents.

“If Duke Energy has record profits, why are those bills being passed on to the regular voter?” Levy said. “I just don’t think there’s a way to argue that.”

The second veto override involved HB805, a measure that defines male and female as the only two sexes in the state and bans state funds for gender-affirming medical care in prisons. The law also requires schools to provide online catalogs of library books for parental review and allows parents to request religious exemptions from certain assignments.

Majeed was the only Democrat to vote in favor of overriding the governor’s veto on this bill. Majeed described himself as a “parents’ rights advocate” when explaining his vote.

“I don’t think a child has the right over the parents,” Majeed said. “I think that parent has that right over the of the child until they can grow into maturity.”

Levy questioned whether Majeed’s values aligned with those of the district.

“I believe if you are a Democrat and especially in a blue district, your vote should always align with your district first and then your governor second,” Levy said. “In this particular case, he says he votes his values... and parents’ rights. I mean, I have said back to him many a times, I’m a parent. What about my rights? Right? How many parents’ rights are you reflecting? Only the parents that you care about, or all parents?”

Beyond legislative votes, the candidates differ on community engagement. Levy criticized Majeed for a lack of local presence, specifically regarding public meetings.

“It’s frustrating to have a representative that doesn’t come home and do town halls,” Levy said.

She said that while Democrats often criticize Republican representatives for skipping town halls, she believes the same standard should apply to the representative for District 99.

Majeed pointed to his decades of service, including his time on the Charlotte City Council in the 1990s and his work as president of the Plaza Eastway Partners Coalition of Neighbors. He also mentioned his role in the creation of the Eastway Regional Recreation Center as evidence of his effectiveness.

“People come from all over to go to that Recreation Center and the neighbors in the surrounding communities on the east side, they enjoy it,” Majeed said.

He said his experience is necessary to navigate challenges like Medicaid expansion and affordable housing.

The primary race also features Tucker Neal, a recent college graduate of UNC Charlotte. Although Neal remains on the ballot, he suspended his campaign to endorse Levy, describing her as a progressive voice.

“I really believe she is the perfect candidate for our district,” Neal said.

He said their platforms were similar and expressed support for LGBTQ+ communities, stating they are “not with this program of discrimination.”

Rep. Majeed, Levy and Neal will all appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary in the 99th District. Voters in northeast Charlotte and University City will decide the nomination for the general election.

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