Charlotte Mayor Wins Landslide Reelection Despite Controversy Over Iryna Zarutska’s Slaying

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, cruised to re-election Tuesday, capturing more than 70% of the vote over Republican challenger Terrie Donovan, with nearly all ballots counted, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

The result extends Democrats’ long dominance in North Carolina’s largest city, which hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since former Gov. Pat McCrory left office in 2009, according to WFAE.

Lyles’ decisive win comes despite the controversy surrounding the August murder of Iryna Zarutska on the city’s Lynx Blue Line train.

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After the attack, Lyles emphasized the suspect’s mental health issues and homelessness rather than his criminal history. Republicans said the remarks showed that the mayor and other Democrats are too lenient toward repeat offenders.

In a statement after the Aug. 22 killing and Brown’s arrest, Lyles said: “Tragic incidents like these should force us to look at what we are doing across our community to address root causes.”

“We will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health,” she wrote, according to The Associated Press.

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