Who is running for NC House, District 105 in 2026?

Former Matthews town commissioner; small business owner

Ken McCool is a Democrat and former Matthews town commissioner who says he was first elected to the town board at age 21 and served three terms, including one as mayor pro tem¹. He is a Providence High School graduate who runs a small business selling sports cards¹. He is challenging Republican incumbent Tricia Cotham in House District 105; the March 2026 Democratic primary was canceled¹.

Where they stand 1 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• School choiceNo single answer fitslow

  Questionnaire answer · low confidence

  • In his 2026 Ballotpedia survey he said legislators have slashed public school funding while promoting unregulated private school vouchers that leave public schools behind. (2026) source
  • His campaign site says he will stand up for public schools and criticizes diverting funding to private school vouchers. (2026) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Abortion, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.

State Representative, NC House District 105

Tricia Ann Cotham is a Republican who has represented House District 105 since 2025 and previously represented District 112; she was elected in 2022 as a Democrat and switched to the Republican Party on April 5, 2023³¹³². A former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher, assistant principal and coach, she holds a history degree from UNC Charlotte and a master's in school administration from UNC Chapel Hill³¹. She faces Democrat Ken McCool in November 2026³¹.

Where they stand 13 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• AbortionLegal in early pregnancy, restricted after thathigh

  Voted · high confidence

  • Voted for the veto override of Senate Bill 20, which bans most abortions after 12 weeks with exceptions for rape and incest up to 20 weeks, life-limiting fetal anomalies up to 24 weeks, and medical emergencies (House vote 72 to 48). (2023-05-16) source
  • After the vote she said Senate Bill 20 strikes a reasonable balance on the abortion issue and represents a middle ground, allowing first-trimester access with exceptions for rape, incest, severe fetal abnormalities and the life of the mother. (2023-05-17) source
  • On second reading, voted for Senate Bill 378, which as rewritten by the House would disenroll Planned Parenthood and its affiliates as Medicaid providers (House vote 61 to 47). (2025-10-22) source
• School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familyhigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • Is a primary sponsor of House Bill 823, which as first filed would open Opportunity Scholarships, the state's private school scholarship program, to any North Carolina student eligible for public school, without family income limits. (2023-04-19) source
  • On second reading, voted for House Bill 823, Choose Your School, Choose Your Future, which expanded the state's private school scholarship program to families of all incomes (House vote 65 to 45). (2023-05-17) source
  • Her campaign site says she voted to expand Opportunity Scholarships so that every student can receive a quality education regardless of income. (2026) source
  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 10, which requires sheriffs to comply with immigration detainers and administrative warrants and also made budget changes including funding for the Opportunity Scholarship private school voucher program (House vote 72 to 44). This bill also combined other budget changes, so the vote alone does not place her. (2024-11-19) source
  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 618, Charter School Review Board, which moves authority to approve charter schools to a new board (House vote 74 to 45). (2023-08-16) source
• ImmigrationSecure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadymedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 10, which requires sheriffs to comply with immigration detainers and administrative warrants and also made budget changes including funding for the Opportunity Scholarship private school voucher program (House vote 72 to 44). (2024-11-19) source
  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 318, which changes release eligibility and requires notice to Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a prisoner is subject to an immigration detainer (House vote 72 to 48). (2025-07-29) source
  • Her campaign site says she voted to require sheriffs to cooperate with immigration officials when detaining illegal immigrants charged with violent crimes. (2026) source
  • Voted for the veto override of Senate Bill 153, which requires state agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials, limits state benefits to people in the country legally, and bars sanctuary universities (House vote 71 to 47). (2026-06-24) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 574, which requires school and college sports teams designated for women or girls to be limited to students of the female sex (House vote 74 to 45). (2023-08-16) source
• Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 808, which prohibits gender transition procedures for minors (House vote 74 to 45). (2023-08-16) source
  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 805, which defines two sexes in state law, limits state funding for gender transition procedures, and changes rules on birth certificates and school library access (House vote 72 to 48). (2025-07-29) source
• Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tomedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for the veto override of Senate Bill 49, the Parents' Bill of Rights, which sets out parents' rights to direct their children's education and health care and requires schools to notify parents about certain matters (House vote 72 to 47). (2023-08-16) source
  • Voted for second reading passage of House Bill 636, which creates community library advisory committees to review school library materials and a state database of rejected library media (House vote 63 to 46). (2025-04-16) source
• Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for the veto override of Senate Bill 747, a package of election law changes that included ending the three-day grace period for mail ballots to arrive after Election Day (House vote 72 to 44). (2023-10-10) source
  • On third reading, voted for Senate Bill 921, a proposed constitutional amendment to require photo ID for all voters (House vote 73 to 45). (2024-12-11) source
• DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 171, which prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion programs and spending in state agencies and local governments (House vote 71 to 47). (2026-06-24) source
  • Voted for the veto override of Senate Bill 558, which bars public colleges and universities from promoting certain diversity, equity and inclusion concepts (House vote 71 to 47). (2026-06-24) source
  • Voted for the veto override of Senate Bill 227, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public K-12 schools (House vote 71 to 47). (2026-06-24) source
• Policing and crimeMore police, with a focus on repeat offenderslow

  Said · low confidence

  • Voted for concurrence on House Bill 307, Iryna's Law, which tightened pretrial release conditions for people charged with violent offenses, added mental health evaluation procedures, and changed death penalty proceedings (House vote 81 to 31). (2025-09-23) source
  • Her campaign site says she sponsored bipartisan legislation to make it harder for repeat offenders charged with violent crimes to be released. (2026) source
  • Is a primary sponsor of House Bill 504, which would fund a pilot co-responder program with Mecklenburg County. (2025-03-26) source
• HealthcareKeep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenlow

  Voted · low confidence

  • On second reading, voted for House Bill 76, Access to Healthcare Options, which expands Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and directs the state to pursue work requirements if federal regulators allow them (House vote 96 to 23). (2023-02-15) source
  • Voted to concur in the Senate changes to House Bill 76, Access to Healthcare Options (House vote 95 to 21). (2023-03-22) source
• Business regulationCut red tape, but keep core safety and environmental ruleslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • On third reading, voted for House Bill 402, the NC REINS Act, which puts limits on state rules with substantial financial costs (House vote 68 to 44). (2025-04-16) source
  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 402, which puts limits on state rules with substantial financial costs (House vote 73 to 47). (2025-07-29) source
• Energy and climateNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted for the veto override of Senate Bill 266, a broad utility bill that eliminated the 2030 interim carbon reduction target for electric utilities and changed how utilities recover construction and fuel costs (House vote 74 to 46). (2025-07-29) source
  • Voted for the veto override of Senate Bill 678, a broad energy and utilities bill (Clean Energy/Other Changes) (House vote 77 to 37). (2023-10-10) source
• GunsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • On second reading, voted against House Bill 50, which would repeal the pistol purchase permit requirement (House vote 67 to 48). (2023-02-22) source
  • On second reading, voted for House Bill 674, the Firearms Liberty Act, a bill that includes lifetime concealed handgun permits and other firearm law changes (House vote 70 to 42). (2025-05-07) source
  • Voted for the veto override of House Bill 193, which lets some nonpublic school employees carry weapons on school property, allows concealed carry on school property that is also a place of worship during services, raises penalties for threats against officials, and sets pretrial release rules for some charges (House vote 72 to 48). (2025-07-29) source

Said vs. did

• Abortion: Said: In her 2022 campaign she wrote that leaders should be unwavering and unapologetic in their support of abortion rights, and told Planned Parenthood she would oppose any legislation that seeks to restrict abortion access³⁶. Did: On May 16, 2023 she voted to override the governor's veto of Senate Bill 20, the 12-week abortion law, and said it strikes a reasonable balance¹³.

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Religion in schools, China policy.