Democrat LaKesha Womack pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Tuesday’s midterm elections in North Carolina, and she is headed to Congress with a felony charge still hanging over her.
Womack defeated Republican Rep. Tim Moore, the former speaker of the North Carolina House, in the state’s 14th Congressional District, 51.1% to 48.9%, a margin of 6,415 votes, according to unofficial results. Moore won the seat by roughly 16 points in 2024.
The first-time candidate is charged with a Class H felony for allegedly failing to return a rental car. According to an arrest warrant, Womack rented a 2019 Toyota Corolla from Budget Car Rental in October 2019 and did not return it by the agreed-upon date. Under North Carolina law, willfully failing to return a rented vehicle valued at more than $4,000 is a felony.
The criminal summons was originally issued in January 2020 but was not served until this year. Deputies served Womack with a felony warrant at a campaign event in October for failing to appear on the summons. She is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 10.
Moore seized on the case in the final weeks of the race, running a series of attack ads and saying his opponent needed to explain the pending charges to voters.
Womack has declined to discuss specifics, citing the ongoing legal matter, and accused Moore’s campaign of playing political games. She argued that if she had done what she is accused of, she would have been arrested long ago. When asked about the charge Friday, she declined to comment to Fox News Digital.
A conviction would not automatically remove Womack from office, but it could limit her role. Under House rules, members charged with a felony punishable by two or more years in prison are expected to step aside from committee assignments and party leadership posts while charges are pending. Members convicted of such an offense cannot vote or take part in committee activities under an internal rule, though those privileges can be restored if the member is reelected.
A Class H felony in North Carolina carries a maximum sentence of two years, though sentencing depends on a defendant’s background.
In a statement celebrating her win, Womack called the victory bigger than herself and described herself as a Black woman, a single mother and an entrepreneur.
Her campaign was a long shot from the start. She raised roughly $56,000, compared with about $1.9 million for Moore, according to Federal Election Commission filings. A political newcomer, Womack moved to North Carolina in 2016 to campaign for Hillary Clinton and stayed. She has said she became unhoused with her young son after a medical emergency.
Her win was part of a Democratic wave that handed the party control of both chambers of Congress. The district covers parts of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cleveland, Rutherford, Polk and Burke counties.
The felony case remains pending and is expected to continue after Womack takes office in January.
