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<\/div>\nIncumbent Spencer Merriweather defeated Tim Emry in the May 17 Democratic primary for district attorney of North Carolina\u2019s 26th Prosecutorial District in Mecklenburg County. Merriweather received 71% of the vote to Emry\u2019s 29%.<\/p>\n
No Republicans ran for the office.<\/p>\n
Merriweather said that under his leadership, the district attorney\u2019s office had \u201cfocused on the most serious and violent offenses\u201d and that he had \u201cimplemented new strategies to confront violent crime \u2026 creating special units that prioritize the prosecution of gun crimes, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence.\u201d\u00a0The<\/em>\u00a0Charlotte Observer\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0Michael Gordon wrote, \u201cAsked what distinguishes him from Emry, Merriweather describes himself as a proven reformer who remains committed to the law, a safer community and building on what he describes as \u2018a career of experience serving victims.’\u201d<\/p>\n The Charlotte Post<\/em>, which endorsed Merriweather, described him as a \u201cthoughtful pragmatist who has balanced policy reforms and alternatives to prosecution with efforts to keep a growing urban community safe.\u201d The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg also endorsed Merriweather.<\/p>\n Emry, a criminal defense attorney and former Mecklenburg County assistant public defender, said, \u201cThe number one pillar of our campaign is holding the police accountable when they break the law.\u201d Emry said another priority would be to \u201cimmediately stop the mass incarceration policies of the current DA\u2019s office and begin to pursue racial justice.\u201d He also said he would \u201cnever seek the death penalty,\u201d saying, \u201cToo often in this country, we have sentenced the wrong people to death. \u2026 Well, my opponent supports the death penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n Real Justice PAC, which says it \u201chas been at the forefront of local elections, ushering in prosecutors who have promised to transform a criminal legal system that is racist, oppressive, and preys on the poor and marginalized,\u201d endorsed Emry. The group\u2019s endorsement said Emry ran \u201cas a progressive challenge to the left of the incumbent\u201d and that he ran to \u201cbring genuine change to the criminal justice system in Mecklenburg and to end the failed status quo policies.\u201d<\/p>\n