Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles won Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary amid national attention on the city after the horrific murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard a city train by a career criminal.
The Democrat, who is seeking a fifth term in the mayor’s office, did not hold a watch party and declined to speak to the media after her win. Her social media accounts were also quiet.
Mayor Vi Lyles just won the primary.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 10, 2025
Charlotte just voted for this again…
Unbelievable… https://t.co/afATfvvaQg
BREAKING: While it was never really in doubt, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles has won the democratic primary by more than 50 points. It was never close. Convicted felon Tiawana Brown, who is facing new federal charges, looks as though she will lose reelection for City Council. pic.twitter.com/Ivwp5D0BlD
— Brett Jensen WBT News (@Brett_Jensen) September 10, 2025
Coward
— CLT_GOP (@CLT_GOP) September 10, 2025
On Monday, President Trump argued Zarutska’s "blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail," though he did not specifically mention Lyles, whose initial response drew widespread backlash for emphasizing the suspect’s mental health issues. She changed her tune on Monday, but it did not sit well with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police.
“Over the past several weeks, as our community has worked to understand this, what we know is that this was a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates,” Lyles said in the statement. “Our police officers arrest people, only to have them quickly released, which undermines our ability to protect our community and ensure safety.
“We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illnesses and are allowed to be on the streets,” Lyles added.
— Mayor Vi Lyles (@CLTMayor) September 8, 2025
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police has put out another blistering statement regarding what they deem to be massive failures of Mayor Vi Lyles. pic.twitter.com/8FrHwo2rGD
— Brett Jensen WBT News (@Brett_Jensen) September 8, 2025
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