Braxton Winston II

Braxton Winston II

Democratic Party

Candidate, North Carolina Commissioner of Labor

Prior offices

Charlotte City Council At-large

---

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Phillips Academy Andover

Bachelor's

Davidson College, 2007

Personal

Birthplace

North Carolina

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Braxton Winston II (Democratic Party) is running for election for North Carolina Commissioner of Labor. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source] The Democratic primary for this office on March 5, 2024, was canceled.

Winston (Democratic Party) was an at-large member of the Charlotte City Council in North Carolina. He assumed office on December 4, 2017. He left office on December 4, 2023.

Winston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Braxton Winston was born in Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base camp in North Carolina. He graduated from Phillips Academy High School in Massachusetts. Winston earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Davidson College. His career experience includes working in the sports television and entertainment production industry and as a stagehand and a grip. Winston is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Union.

Elections

2024

See also: North Carolina Labor Commissioner election, 2024

General election

General election for North Carolina Commissioner of Labor

Braxton Winston II and Luke Farley are running in the general election for North Carolina Commissioner of Labor on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Braxton Winston II (D)
		Luke Farley (R)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ben Moss (R)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Braxton Winston II advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina Commissioner of Labor.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina Commissioner of Labor

Luke Farley defeated Jon Hardister, Chuck Stanley, and Travis Wilson in the Republican primary for North Carolina Commissioner of Labor on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Luke Farley	36.9	315,490
		Jon Hardister	28.0	239,551
		Chuck Stanley	21.6	184,458
		Travis Wilson	13.4	114,563

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 854,062
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Winston's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2022

See also: City elections in Charlotte, North Carolina (2022)

General election

General election for Charlotte City Council At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Charlotte City Council At-large on July 26, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dimple Ajmera (D)	16.6	46,751
✔		Braxton Winston II (D)	16.3	46,045
✔		LaWana Slack-Mayfield (D)	15.1	42,582
✔		James Mitchell (D)	15.1	42,509
		Kyle Luebke (R)	10.1	28,600
		David Merrill (R)	9.0	25,385
		Carrie Olinski (R)	8.9	25,000
		Charlie Mulligan (R)	8.8	24,698
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	555

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 282,125
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Charlotte City Council At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Charlotte City Council At-large on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Braxton Winston II	21.1	44,761
✔		Dimple Ajmera	18.9	40,073
✔		LaWana Slack-Mayfield	17.7	37,461
✔		James Mitchell	16.2	34,331
		Larken Egleston	14.0	29,637
		Patrick Cannon	12.2	25,789

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 212,052
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Charlotte City Council At-large (4 seats)

David Merrill, Charlie Mulligan, Carrie Olinski, and Kyle Luebke defeated David Michael Rice in the Republican primary for Charlotte City Council At-large on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Merrill	24.0	19,541
✔		Charlie Mulligan	22.7	18,461
✔		Carrie Olinski	20.8	16,885
✔		Kyle Luebke	19.9	16,150
		David Michael Rice	12.6	10,281

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,318
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2019

See also: City elections in Charlotte, North Carolina (2019)

General election

General election for Charlotte City Council At-large (4 seats)

Incumbent Julie Eiselt, incumbent Braxton Winston II, incumbent James Mitchell, and incumbent Dimple Ajmera defeated Joshua Richardson in the general election for Charlotte City Council At-large on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julie Eiselt (D)	23.9	67,713
✔		Braxton Winston II (D)	22.1	62,607
✔		James Mitchell (D)	22.0	62,508
✔		Dimple Ajmera (D)	20.0	56,759
		Joshua Richardson (R)	11.3	32,167
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	1,784

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 283,538
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Charlotte City Council At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Charlotte City Council At-large on September 10, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Braxton Winston II	19.4	45,018
✔		James Mitchell	17.0	39,482
✔		Dimple Ajmera	15.9	36,936
✔		Julie Eiselt	15.9	36,868
		LaWana Mayfield	14.8	34,409
		Jorge Millares	11.8	27,514
		Chad Stachowicz	5.3	12,208

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 232,435
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Joshua Richardson advanced from the Republican primary for Charlotte City Council At-large.

Endorsements

Winston was endorsed by the Southern Piedmont Central Labor Council.

2017

See also: Mayoral election in Charlotte, North Carolina (2017) and Municipal elections in Charlotte, North Carolina (2017)

The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, held elections for mayor and city council on November 7, 2017. A primary was held on September 12, 2017. A primary runoff was held on October 10, 2017, for the district 5 race. A candidate needed to receive over 40% of the vote in order to avoid a runoff election. All 11 seats on the city council were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2017.

The following candidates ran in the Charlotte City Council at-large general election.

Charlotte City Council, At-large General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Julie Eiselt Incumbent	17.29%	73,348
	Democratic	Braxton Winston II	16.51%	70,030
	Democratic	James "Smuggie" Mitchell Incumbent	16.45%	69,777
	Democratic	Dimple Ajmera	14.59%	61,882
	Republican	John K. Powell Jr.	11.38%	48,277
	Republican	Parker Cains	10.39%	44,068
	Republican	David Michael Rice	8.19%	34,733
	Libertarian	Steven DiFiore II	5.07%	21,514
		Write-in votes	0.15%	645
Total Votes				424,274
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results," November 16, 2017

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary election for four at-large seats on the Charlotte City Council.

Charlotte City Council, At-large Democratic Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
James "Smuggie" Mitchell Incumbent	19.38%	22,063
Braxton Winston II	17.03%	19,385
Julie Eiselt Incumbent	16.85%	19,181
Dimple Ajmera	13.30%	15,140
Ryan McGill	12.08%	13,752
Claire Green Fallon Incumbent	11.22%	12,772
Roderick Davis	5.70%	6,486
Jesse Boyd	4.44%	5,052
Total Votes		113,831
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed September 18, 2017

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Braxton Winston II completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Winston's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Braxton Winston II is currently serving as an At-Large member and Mayor Pro Tem of Charlotte City Council. Braxton was born in Camp Lejeune, N.C., where his father was stationed in the United States Marine Corps. His mother was a public school math teacher. After his father’s retirement from military service, the family relocated to Brooklyn, New York. As the child of a Marine and a teacher, the importance of education, public service, and a solid work ethic were ingrained in Braxton at an early age. He flourished academically in the New York City public school system and was enrolled in the demanding PREP 9 program. Braxton thrived at Phillips Academy Andover where he excelled in academics, arts, sports, and student government. At Davidson College he earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and was a two-time letterman on the football team. Braxton is a union stagehand and grip and a member of our region’s robust sports television and entertainment production community. He takes immense pride in being a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Union. He is also the Charlotte Liason, college counselor and Humanities instructor for the Delaware College Scholars Program. He sits on several boards and committees including My Brother’s Keeper Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the Board of Trustees of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County and Habitat for Humanity's Charlotte Neighborhood Revitalization Committee.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will ensure that all workers go to work in a safe environment.
• I will fight for all people to be paid fairly under North Carolina labor laws.
• I will prioritize that our NCDOL workforce is fully staffed to provide public services.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

North Carolina should be the #1 state for business and workers.
​
As the next Commissioner of Labor, I will support North Carolina’s working families and businesses by:
​
ensuring that all workers go to work in a safe environment.
fighting for all people to be paid fairly under North Carolina labor laws.
making it a priority that our workforce is fully staffed to uphold public safety.
closing the digital divide and training our next workforce.
defending workers rights wherever they find work​​.
taking a "whole worker" approach.
​

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Workplace Safety - All work, from factories to classrooms, should be done in a safe working environment.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Hugh McColl, Harvey Gantt, Rep. John Autry, Spencer Merriweather, Sheriff Garry McFadden

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Winston's campaign website stated the following:

“	BRAXTON’S PLAN TO MAKE NORTH CAROLINA THE #1 STATE FOR BUSINESS AND WORKERS North Carolina should be the #1 state for business and workers. As the next Commissioner of Labor, I will support North Carolina’s working families and businesses by: 1. ensuring that all workers go to work in a safe environment. 2. advocating for all people to be paid fairly under NC labor laws. 3. prioritizing that our workforce is fully staffed. 4. defending workers rights wherever they find work. 5. taking a "whole worker" approach. ​WORKPLACE SAFETY All work, from factories to classrooms, should be done in a safe working environment. We should strive to eliminate fatalities and injuries in North Carolina workplaces. As Commissioner of Labor I will: work with employers and employees to promote and grow cultures of safety. collaborate with the North Carolina General Assembly to appropriately fund and strengthen the Occupational Safety & Health Division (OSH) and other compliance departments. team up with employers and employees to amplify preventative practices across industries. FAIR WAGES The Labor Commissioner has an important role in helping to ensure that North Carolina workers are earning their fair share of wages as determined by the law. Why It Matters: Whether they are construction workers building our cities or meatpackers from out east, North Carolina’s laborers deserve to feel confident that they are bringing home a fair day’s pay. As Commissioner of Labor, I will prioritize: informing all workers of their rights under the law. ensuring businesses are following North Carolina’s fair wage laws and rules. We must promote a fair market amongst business owners who are competing for the same workers within industries. FULLY STAFF OUR WORKFORCE TO UPHOLD PUBLIC SAFETY ​The Problem: Employers are finding it increasingly more difficult to find enough workers to staff their businesses since the pandemic. There are not enough employees to dependably fill shifts across the board - whether in our service and hospitality industries or logistics professionals. This constrains the ability for companies to grow and is detrimental to existing workers who bear additional dangerous burdens at work. For Example: Currently, even the North Carolina Department of Labor is struggling to fully staff its team – 25 of the 108 compliance officer roles that are budgeted for are vacant. It is vital that we have a fully staffed compliance officer team at the Department of Labor so that every roller coaster, every ski lift, every ride at every county fair across the state that involves moving pieces of equipment, is inspected correctly and as often as it should be. The Solution: As the next Commissioner of Labor, I would make it a top priority to close this gap and ensure that these life-saving inspections continue across the state. I would work with leaders in business, labor unions, personnel services, and in communities across the state to make sure we are doing everything possible to match our workforce with available jobs – many of which provide local residents access to the middle-class right out of high school. ​We must approach the challenges in the labor market as opportunities to take a “whole worker" approach and connect our local workforce with a better quality of life through a good-paying job.​ DEFENDING WORKERS RIGHTS WHEREVER THEY FIND WORK There are a lot of different jobs, and just as many different workplaces in our state. Why It Matters: Different jobs call for different skills and different demands of workers. Regardless of the differences in job descriptions and demands, all workers have rights and protections as workers in our state. ​Whether workers are at home or on assembly lines, I will work with advocates to inform and educate our workforces on their rights and how to take action if those rights are violated.​ TAKING A "WHOLE WORKER" APPROACH The Department of Labor has an important role in our state to ensure community safety. In addition to the core responsibilities of inspecting and ensuring the safety of several elements of everyday life like elevators, amusement park rides, and lifting devices for people with disabilities, the Commissioner of Labor can build bridges across our state’s diverse communities and make them safer by taking a "whole worker" approach. We can work with our partners within state and local governments, the private sector, and service organizations to sustain resilient workforces by: providing dependable access to transportation. As Commissioner of Labor, I will work with public and private partners in our local communities to take advantage of the historic Federal infrastructure resources on behalf of NC workers. Communities that are accessible empower their workers – and these same communities become desirable for businesses to come to and workers to live in. Dependable access to work advances economic development. working with partners to increase access to affordable housing. By having a safe and secure place to sleep at night or even a path to home ownership, working residents are able to accumulate wealth, in turn helping stabilize communities. ​In addition, we must work towards eliminating homelessness in North Carolina with a focus on our veteran population. We must ensure that our veterans and their families have on-ramps to jobs when their sacrifices to our state and nation are complete. reducing the number of workers living in a food desert. According to a 2022 WRAL report, more than 1.6M NC residents live in a food desert. These are low-income rural areas that are more than 10 miles from a grocery store or low-income urban areas that are more than one mile from a grocery store. closing the digital divide and training our next workforce. Being digitally connected means more than just having internet. 1.1M North Carolina households lack access to high-speed internet, cannot afford it, and/or do not have the skills needed to utilize the digital economy.​ As Commissioner of Labor, I will make equitable investments so workers can find their way into the workforce and ensure both urban and rural communities achieve digital equity through public-private partnerships. I will also: work to ​uplift populations destabilized due to interactions with the criminal justice system. The best way to keep people out of cycles of recidivism is to ensure they are able to secure a job. By making training more readily available for the future workforce, more people will have the ability to become employed. create apprenticeship opportunities and foster mentor-mentee relationships with our young people. By creating continuums of wisdom we can ensure that the future workforce of North Carolina continues to fuel the growth of our state.​​ advocating for accessible and well-funded child care. Affordable, reliable, and quality child care is the key to providing upward economic mobility. Inaccessible child care reduces the productivity of our workforces. I have always been an advocate for accessible and well-funded child care. We know the effects. It is clear that quality child care helps strengthen families and build community. working with partners to increase access to health care for all workers. ​When workers are mentally and physically healthy, companies succeed. The bottom line is when workers are sick, work suffers. Businesses are efficient and productive when workers are able to access care to get and stay healthy.​	”
—Braxton Winston II’s campaign website (2024)

2022

Braxton Winston II did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Braxton Winston II did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Winston's campaign website stated the following:

“	Charlotte continues to become a less affordable place to live for working families. We must make critical investments in our families and communities now to reverse this trend. Heads of households making a liveable wage leads to improved housing opportunities, better educational opportunities for their children and better access to all forms of health care. We must invest in Charlotte’s working families by: Recruiting businesses and companies who will commit to hiring Charlotte residents and will provide good paying, career-path jobs. Working on policy that encourages city staff to negotiate with contractors that pay their employees a living wage Rallying behind the call for workers rights and ensuring that all people are paid the same wages for the same work. We also must invest in Charlotte’s communities, ensuring that workers bring their paychecks home to safe and secure communities, by: Continuing to push development of mixed-income neighborhoods with access to jobs, schools, services and entertainment. Promoting home ownership for working class residents to help them to accumulate wealth and also enhance the Charlotte tax base.	”
—Braxton Winston II’s campaign website (2019)

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Winston participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	My top priority is to secure good paying, career-path jobs and planning and developing mixed income neighborhoods.	”
—Braxton Winston (August 3, 2017)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue	Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Civil rights	7	K-12 education
2	Unemployment	8	Environment
3	Housing	9	Government transparency
4	Homelessness	10	Crime reduction/prevention
5	City services (trash, utilities, etc.)	11	Public pensions/retirement funds
6	Transportation	12	Recreational opportunities

Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important	A little important, but required by state law
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal	Local
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Increased economic opportunities, Increased police presence/activity, Harsher penalties for offenders, Public outreach/education programs	Increased economic opportunities
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform	Focusing on small business development
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?	Charlotte's ability to recruit and retain the best and brightest minds from all over the world.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?	The crescent of inequities as described by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Report.

Additional themes

Winston's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Equity

• Excerpt: "Charlotte is quickly becoming a less affordable place to live for working families. We must make critical investments in our families and communities now to reverse this trend. Heads of households making a liveable wage leads to improved housing opportunities, better educational opportunities for their children and better access to all forms of health care."

Accessibility

• Excerpt: "We must ensure that our city is accessible and inclusive by: Fully implementing the 2030 Plan for transportation, especially enhancing east-west connectivity to fully serve middle and low income working populations. The plan will both alleviate traffic congestion and spark economic development."

Interconnection

• Excerpt: "Charlotte is more than just a place to live; it is home. Members of Charlotte City Council, especially those serving at-large, must build bridges across our city’s diverse communities and between the different government entities that serve our residents. I am that bridge builder."

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Braxton Winston II campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	North Carolina Commissioner of Labor	On the Ballot general	$99,821	$98,569
Grand total			$99,821	$98,569
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

North Carolina Commissioner of Labor

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

Personal

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn