A longtime North Carolina lawmaker has formally broken with the Democrats after siding with Republicans on a contentious immigration vote, underscoring growing divisions within the party on enforcement and border policy.
State Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-NC) confirmed she is no longer registered as a Democrat.
Cunningham changed her affiliation to unaffiliated after more than a decade in office.
Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-NC), who has represented the state’s 106th District since 2012, said the decision came after reevaluating her role as a legislator.
“I came to realize that I want to serve the people, not a party,” Cunningham said in a statement.
“Being an independent thinker does not align with party politics, and I will never compromise the needs of my constituents to satisfy a political agenda,” she added.
Her voter registration now lists her as “UNA,” or unaffiliated.
Why is this taking so long ?