2026 Election
The 2026 primary election in North Carolina is scheduled for March 3, 2026, with the general election scheduled for November 3, 2026. Candidate filing for most contests opened at noon on December 1, 2025, and closed at noon on December 19, 2025.[1][2]
Wake County
[edit | edit source]Wake County Board of Commissioners
[edit | edit source]Recent election-structure changes
[edit | edit source]In 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted Session Law 2023-30 (House Bill 99), which altered the method of election for the Wake County Board of Commissioners. The law directed commissioners to be elected by district beginning in 2024 and expanded the board from seven to nine members beginning in 2026 by adding two at-large seats.[3]
The law specifies that the seven commissioner districts are the districts adopted by the Wake County Board of Commissioners on November 1, 2021.[4] For the two at-large seats first elected in 2026, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes is elected to a four-year term, and the candidate receiving the second-highest number of votes is elected to a two-year term, thereby creating staggered terms for future elections.
Candidates
[edit | edit source]The following candidates filed for the Wake County Board of Commissioners during the December 2025 filing period, according to the Wake County Board of Elections.[5]
At-Large (two seats)
[edit | edit source]- Christine Kushner (D)
- Robert Mitchener Jr. (D)
- Mona Singh (D)
- Jonathan Lambert-Melton (D)
- Kimberly McGhee (D)
- Marguerite Creel (D)
- Gary Hartong (R)
- Kyle Stogoski (R)
District 01
[edit | edit source]- Don Mial (D)
District 02
[edit | edit source]- Safiyah Jackson (D)
- John Adcock (R)
District 03
[edit | edit source]- Cheryl Stallings (D)
District 07
[edit | edit source]- Vickie Adamson (D)
City of Raleigh
[edit | edit source]Raleigh City Council
[edit | edit source]Recent election-structure changes
[edit | edit source]On May 7, 2024, the Raleigh City Council adopted Ordinance (2024) 627 amending the city charter to change the structure of municipal elections beginning in 2026. The ordinance established four-year staggered terms for the mayor and city council and adopted a nonpartisan primary and election system.[6] The two candidates to receive the most votes in the primary will appear on the general election ballot in November.
Under the adopted transition plan, all mayoral and city council seats appear on the 2026 ballot. Certain offices are elected to four-year terms and others to two-year terms in 2026 in order to establish staggered elections in subsequent cycles.[7]
Candidates
[edit | edit source]The following candidates filed for Raleigh municipal offices during the December 2025 filing period, according to the Wake County Board of Elections.[5]
Mayor
[edit | edit source]City Council At-Large
[edit | edit source]City Council District A
[edit | edit source]City Council District B
[edit | edit source]City Council District C
[edit | edit source]City Council District D
[edit | edit source]City Council District E
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Candidate Filing Period | 2026 Primary Election" (link). North Carolina State Board of Elections. (December 1, 2025). Accessed February 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Election Day | 2026 General Election" (link). NC State Board of Elections. (Unknown). Accessed February 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Session Law 2023-30 (House Bill 99)" (link). North Carolina General Assembly. (). Accessed February 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Wake commissioners approve new districts, term changes. What that means for elections." (link). The News & Observer. (November 2, 2021). Accessed February 1, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Wake County Candidate Detail List" (link). Wake County. (December 19, 2025). Accessed February 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Ordinance No. (2024) 627: An Ordinance to Revise the Number and Election of Members Section of the Charter of the City of Raleigh" (link). City of Raleigh. (Unknown). Accessed February 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Vote Local: Our Community, Our City, Your Vote!" (link). City of Raleigh. (). Accessed {{{access-date}}}.