Hi, I’m Wesley Harris.

I spent the first years of my life in Taylorsville and Statesville, the youngest of four. My mom spent her life teaching public school, and my dad worked at a local bank, back when there still was such a thing. Mom and Dad taught my sisters and me the value of hard work, a good education, and family. Those values led me to become a lifelong Democrat, because the fundamental premise of the Democratic Party is that government is a tool for improving our communities and our lives.

That interest in the role of government led me to Chapel Hill, where I got my Bachelor’s degree, and Clemson, where I pursued a PhD in Economics with a specialty in public finance. Following my time at Clemson, I worked as a teacher, an international tax consultant at Ernst & Young, but no matter where I was, my heart remained planted firmly in North Carolina.

Charlotte is my city on the hill.

Growing up, Charlotte was the center of the universe. Our news came in from Charlotte, our weather reports came from Charlotte, and everything interesting that ever seemed to happen was there. It was the metropolis. The city on a hill. The first time I went there was in kindergarten, when I saw my first skyscraper, I could scarcely believe that buildings could be so tall. Surely that meant this was the greatest city in the world.

I spent literally my entire adult life trying to get to Charlotte, and in 2016, I finally made it. An election had just happened—you probably remember that one—and I’d always been interested in politics, and I said, “Okay, well, if there’s ever a time to do something, it’s now.” So in 2018, I stepped up to run for a competitive seat in the NC House and won, becoming the first Democrat to ever represent House District 105.

I’m running to serve you as Chair.

In 2024, after three terms in the legislature, I had the honor of being our Democratic nominee for State Treasurer. I ran a bold campaign and I’m proud of the work we did—but that race also gave me a front-row seat to the dysfunction that has led our core voters to lose trust in our ability to lead.

I’m running because we need to crack the code of Mecklenburg turnout woes for the Democratic Party. We need someone who understands the dynamics of this state, can raise money, and is committed to building back our brand in the low turnout sections of Meck. My experience in the legislature, running a statewide campaign, and winning competitive legislative races gives me the relationships and leadership we need to move forward as a party.

In some ways, we have everything going for us in Mecklenburg County—we just need the right people at the helm.