After Donald Trump won the state of North Carolina for a third time on Election Day 2024, there is a major shakeup at the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party (MeckDems).
Monifa Drayton, the party’s executive director, sent a scathing resignation email just one day after the election claiming, “gross negligence of governance, accountability, spending controls, basic employment practices and subjugation to a persistent hostile environment.”
Mecklenburg county which hosts the city of Charlotte has the largest share of Democratic Party voters in the state with more than 332,000 registered according to data from the State Board of Elections. Voter turnout in this election cycle is estimated to be 3% lower compared to 2020.
In her letter sent to Drew Kromer, the MeckDems chairman, Drayton called the Democratic Party work environment “hostile and unbearable,” noting that she was warned about potential issues before joining the organization earlier this year.
“Prior to joining the team, I was forewarned of the alleged racism, discrimination, incompetence and manipulation but at the request of the community leaders, love for politics, my community and belief in early careerists I made the decision to move forward with accepting the position,” wrote Drayton. “Within two weeks of employment the gross negligence of governance, accountability, spending controls, basic employment practices and subjugation to a persistent hostile environment was realized and became progressively worse each month which has been unconscionable and intolerable.”
The hostile environment that Drayton mentions includes her being stripped of roles and responsibilities without her knowledge.
“The most humiliating of all was the retaliatory action to strip me from all Executive Director responsibilities, relegating me to only work with Black, Brown and the LGBTQ community,” said Drayton. “This was truly reminiscent to what was required of professional Black women during the Jim Crow era. Without my knowledge or justification.”
In closing her resignation letter Drayton did provide some advice on how the party can do better in the future.
“My hope for the future of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party is that we will be intentional about inclusivity of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, diversity, equity and belonging so that it is reflective of the residents in our county,” she advised. “We will be transparent, responsible with finances and give all candidates equal support and opportunity to run for an office. We will hire experienced staff with proven wins versus nepotism. Lastly, to mitigate future risks, it is imperative that MCDP select officers who are interested in supporting a healthy work environment and create a culture of accountability. These are all changes that will help to ensure that we never repeat the election outcome that we are experiencing.”
“If Democrats want to consistently win statewide they need to run up the score in urban areas like Mecklenburg County and that just has not been happening over the last several elections,” Dr. Andy Jackson, Director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “The state party’s new emphasis on competing in rural areas means that urban counties will have to depend more on their own people and resources. So far, the Mecklenburg Democratic Party has not been up to that task.”