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
editWake County Board of Commissioners
editRecent election-structure changes
editIn 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
editThe 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- 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- Don Mial (D)
District 02
edit- Safiyah Jackson (D)
- John Adcock (R)
District 03
edit- Cheryl Stallings (D)
District 07
edit- Vickie Adamson (D)
City of Raleigh
editRaleigh City Council
editRecent election-structure changes
editOn 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
editThe following candidates filed for Raleigh municipal offices during the December 2025 filing period, according to the Wake County Board of Elections.[5]
Mayor
editCity Council At-Large
editCity Council District A
editCity Council District B
editCity Council District C
editCity Council District D
editCity Council District E
editReferences
edit- ↑ "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}}}.