Elected Democrat leaves party after standing up for Americans over illegal aliens

An elected state representative in North Carolina is no longer a registered Democrat after she crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans on immigration.

Last week, news broke that state Rep. Carla Cunningham was no longer registered as a Democrat. She had represented the Democratic Party in office since she was first elected to the 106th Congressional District seat in 2012. Cunningham then confirmed in a statement that she "came to realize" that she wants "to serve the people, not a party."

'All cultures are not equal.'

"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," her statement continued, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Cunningham's voter registration now says she is "UNA," or unaffiliated.

In the last year, Cunningham has faced considerable criticism after making a speech on the floor of the North Carolina House in favor of American citizens over illegal aliens and other immigrants.

"If you ask me to line up behind another group of people to raise awareness about their plight, I unapologetically say no," she said back in July.

"It's time to wake up. We must establish new rules to address a distinct type of migration that we are facing in our country, state, and cities. It's time to turn the conveyor belt off," she continued.

During the fiery speech, Cunningham noted that some immigrants come from cultures that are incompatible with the American way of life. "All cultures are not equal," she said, adding that she would still "welcome" those immigrants who "want to adapt to [our] country, not isolate yourself, and come here legally."

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Nevertheless, Cunningham voted with Republicans that month to override a veto from Democrat Gov. Josh Stein on the Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act. Her vote appears to be based on principle, as it was not needed for the veto override to pass the House, which passed the override overwhelmingly, 72-48. The state Senate likewise passed the override by a sizeable margin, 30-19.

Cunningham, who is black, claimed that she was accused of racism on account of that vote. "Yes, I was degraded for my vote. Yes, I was called racist for my vote. And yes, I was said I was trash," she stated during her floor speech.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden (D) even allegedly threatened Cunningham over that vote. In January, Cunningham joined others in filing a petition to recall McFadden, claiming that McFadden warned her not to vote to override the veto — or else.

McFadden called Cunningham and claimed that people would "come after" her if she voted to override it, Cunningham claimed in a sworn affidavit. "I don’t want to see you get hurt; you live in my county," he added, according to Cunningham, who took those alleged statements as a threat masked as concern.

McFadden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Despite the allegations against him, McFadden effectively won re-election in March after he sailed through the Democrat primary and now faces no opposition in the general election in November.

Cunningham, however, did not fare well in the March primary. After seven terms in office, she lost her Democrat primary race to Rev. Rodney Sadler, who carried the day with nearly 70% of the vote. With no Republican or independent candidates in the race, Sadler will win the seat in November.

Blaze News was curious whether Cunningham has given any thought to running for political office again, perhaps as an independent or even a Republican. However, her office did not respond to a request for comment.

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