Gov. Roy Cooper will help Tricia Cotham challenger Nicole Sidman raise money in Raleigh
Gov. Roy Cooper will help raise money for the Democratic nominee in the Charlotte area’s most closely watched state legislature race this election cycle.
The Democratic governor will be the “special guest” at a Raleigh campaign reception Tuesday for Nicole Sidman, who is running to unseat Republican state Rep. Tricia Cotham, according to an email to supporters from Sidman’s campaign.
Tickets start at $150 and top out at $6,400 for hosts for “hosts,” according to the email. The fundraiser’s limit is also the legal limit for individuals making campaign donations in North Carolina state elections.
Hosts listed include outgoing Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, Wake County Register of Deeds Tammy Brunner and Scott Falmlen, former executive director of the North Carolina and Florida Democratic parties and co-founder of an NC-based public relations and political consulting firm.
Cotham vs. Sidman
Sidman and Cotham are facing off to represent the newly redrawn House District 105, which includes parts of southern and eastern Mecklenburg County.
Cotham made national news for switching parties last year and giving Republicans a veto-proof majority in the General Assembly, allowing the GOP to pass a bill restricting abortion access and a sweeping expansion of North Carolina’s school voucher program.
Since then, Democrats have put a focus on unseating her. Sidman, a congregational life director at Temple Beth El in Charlotte, won a three-person primary to face Cotham in March with 57.3% of the vote.
Sidman raised more than four times as much as Cotham from Feb. 18 to June 30, the most recent campaign finance data available.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee also named Sidman a “spotlight candidate” in March, allowing them to assist with campaign, finance and communications plans and Sidman to fundraise directly from the DLCC’s “spotlight” webpage.
The recently redrawn House District 105 favors Republicans slightly, according to the website Dave’s Redistricting, which uses a composite of election results from 2016 to 2022.
