Unlikely political newcomer unseats NC powerhouse despite big challenges

LaKesha Womack is anything but a textbook political candidate. She had never run for office before, had very little funding or outside support, and had even been unhoused at one point. She also has an outstanding felony charge that could theoretically leave her unable to vote in the U.S. House. 

None of that stopped her from riding a blue wave on Election Day to unseat one of the state’s most powerful politicians, Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Moore, who, before being elected to Congress nearly two years ago, served five terms as speaker of the N.C. House.

Moore was one of the architects of the state’s 2023 redistricting process, which redrew many districts to favor Republicans. His district was designed to be a safe seat district for the GOP.

The redistricting maneuver backfired.

NC Newsline reached out to Moore for comment, but did not receive a response from him before this story was published.

Womack, a political newcomer who moved to North Carolina in 2016 to campaign for Hillary Clinton and never left, credited the victory to “amazing volunteers and county party chairs” who helped us “get out and knock on doors and have conversations” with voters in the 14th Congressional  District.

“We had lots of meet-and-greets and town halls, and we held listening sessions,” Womack said. “Right now, there are so many people who just feel like they’re not being heard and that their issues are not being taken seriously.” 

Womack is a consultant who helps design loan products for underserved small businesses. She’s a native of Alabama and a graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

The newly elected congresswoman’s district includes Gastonia, Shelby, Morgantown, and parts of far south Charlotte.

Wesley Harris, former state lawmaker and chairman of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, said Womack’s win was a welcome surprise.

“When you look at the map, it shouldn’t be competitive, but when you started looking at early votes, the early vote was heavily, heavily favoring Democrats in that entire district,” Harris said. “LaKesha ran a great campaign. She didn’t have a bunch of money, but she went everywhere, and she talked to everybody.”

Across North Carolina, Harris said Democrats won in places they shouldn’t have won. 

“We ran some great people, but that only comes from just a backlash of voters who were sick and tired of those in power,” Harris said. “It was a full repudiation of the Republican Party, and it was the biggest signal ever that folks were ready for a change.” 

Womack’s decision to enter the congressional race revealed a nearly decade-old skeleton in her closet, which Moore highlighted in campaign ads.

Womack was served with a felony warrant at a campaign event last month. The warrant stated that she rented a 2019 Toyota Corolla from Budget Car Rental in October 2019 and did not return it by the agreed-upon date.

Womack’s legal troubles have raised questions about her ability to serve if convicted. Members of Congress convicted of an offense that could result in two or more years’ imprisonment cannot vote or participate in committee activities, according to an internal rule. Those privileges can be restored if the member is reelected to Congress. 

Her first appearance hearing is scheduled for Nov.10.

Womack did not respond to a request for comment on the matter Thursday before this story was published. She did, however, address it on her campaign website last month.

“Candidates for public office should be held accountable, and voters deserve transparency,” Womack said. “Accountability, however, must be grounded in facts, fairness, and due process rather than speculation or sensationalism. As an attorney, Congressman Moore knows that any ongoing legal matter should be addressed through the appropriate legal process.”

Harris said he hopes the legal matter can be resolved quickly.

“We’re going to take that one day at a time and let the process work itself out,” he said. 

On the campaign trail, Womack also revealed to voters that she became unhoused with her young son after moving to North Carolina in 2016, when a medical emergency related to her Type 1 diabetes left her hospitalized in intensive care.

“I know firsthand what it’s like to experience some of these challenges,” Womack said. “A lot of these situations, from food insecurity to housing insecurity, are things that I’ve had to deal with myself.”

Access to health care has been a major plank in her platform because, like her, too many Americans are just one medical crisis away from financial ruin, she said.

“When we’re looking at how policy decisions impact these issues, it is important to have people at the table who have actually dealt with these issues so that we can understand what the solutions are, and we’re not just throwing money at a problem versus giving people the help that they actually need,” she said.

Womack said she was encouraged to see so many Black women run competitive races in districts where “people would traditionally think that they couldn’t win.”

She believes Moore took reelection for granted.

“Tim Moore was not out doing town halls,” she said. “He wasn’t out talking to the voters, and he wasn’t answering for a lot of the votes that he had taken while he was in Congress, and so it allowed me to provide a great contrast to my leadership style to his.”

Strong Democratic turnout flips at least 5 US House seats across North Carolina

Womack doesn’t discount the role the Democrats’ historic night played in her win. The party won control of the House and Senate in what pundits say was an unqualified rebuke of President Donald Trump’s policies, many of which have been blamed for making life more expensive.

“I focused my campaign on being present for the community and making sure that they knew that I was not only listening to them, but also helping to connect their issues with actual policy decisions that were being made in Washington, D.C.,” Womack said

Womack says she’s eager to head to Washington to begin delivering on campaign promises. But she said voters should “temper their expectations.” 

“Just trust that we have a great group of people around the country who are going to Washington, and we really want to straighten out a lot of the chaos that led people to vote in such record numbers across the country,” Womack said.