Democrat, who clinched surprise House win, facing felony charge

LaKesha Womack (D), who clinched a surprise House win Tuesday in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District, is still facing felony charges for allegedly not returning a rental car in 2019.

Womack was a part of the blue wave in North Carolina that saw Democratic candidates oust their incumbent Republican opponents. In her race, she defeated Rep. Tim Moore (R) in the state’s 14th District, though it is unclear if she will begin her tenure in the House due to the felony charge.

The incoming lawmaker was served with a felony warrant at a campaign event in October for failing to appear for a criminal summons related to the Class H felony charge. Moore capitalized on the charge and ran campaign ads targeting Womack over the offense.

She hit back and accused her Republican opponent of exploiting an unresolved legal matter to attack her character, per The Charlotte Observer .

A felony conviction would not automatically disqualify Womack from the House, but it would restrict her participation in Congress. Per the House Ethics Committee , if a lawmaker is sentenced to two or more years of prison, they should “refrain from voting on any question at a meeting of the House or of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.”

This means Womack would be expected to avoid committee assignments and party leadership positions.

A Class H felony in North Carolina also carries a maximum sentence of two years, though sentencing is dependent upon a defendant’s individual background, per The Charlotte Observer.

The last lawmaker to be removed from the lower chamber was former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), when he was accused of wire fraud and identity theft in 2023.

After his expulsion, Santos was federally indicted on 23 counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, stealing public funds, lying on federal financial disclosure forms, aggravated identity theft and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, according to the U.S. House of Representatives Historian’s office.