2026 Wake County elections

2026 Wake County elections

← 2024 November 3, 2026 2028 →

A general election will be held in Wake County, North Carolina, on November 3, 2026, to elect various county-level officials. Primary elections will be held on March 3.

District Attorney

Main article: 2026 Wake County District Attorney election

Incumbent Democratic distrct attorney Lorrin Freeman is retiring. ^[1]

Board of Commissioners

At-large (2 seats)

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Marguerite Creel, tutoring business owner and candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2022 ^[2]
• Christine Kushner, former Wake County school board member ^[3]
• Jonathan Lambert-Melton, at-large member of the Raleigh City Council (2019–present) ^[4]
• Kimberly McGhee, entrepreneur ^[5]
• Robert Mitchener Jr., former deputy sheriff ^[5]
• Steve Rao, at-large member of the Morrisville Town Council ^[5]
• Mona Singh, technology consultant ^[2]

Results

Democratic primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Marguerite Creel
	Democratic	Christine Kushner
	Democratic	Jonathan Lambert-Melton
	Democratic	Kimberly McGhee
	Democratic	Robert Mitchener Jr.
	Democratic	Steve S. Rao
	Democratic	Mona Singh
Total votes				100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominees

• Gary Dale Hartong, engineering firm president ^[5]
• Kyle Stogoski, massage therapist ^[5]

Clerk of Superior Court

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Claudia Croom, incumbent clerk of superior court ^[2]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Joe Teague Jr. ^[2]

Sheriff

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Willy Rowe, incumbent sheriff ^[6]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Kenny Blackwell, law enforcement officer ^[7]

References

1. Eanes, Zachery (May 8, 2025). "Wake County's district attorney won't run for reelection". Axios. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
2. Roman, Anna (December 19, 2025). "Here are the 2026 candidates for Wake County commissioner, sheriff, DA and more". The News & Observer. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
3. Roman, Anna (April 2, 2025). "Former Wake school board member to seek new seat in local government". The News & Observer. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
4. Roman, Anna (March 10, 2025). "Why this Raleigh City Council member will not run for re-election". The News & Observer. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
5. Bohl, Chloe Courtney (December 21, 2025). "Who's Running: Wake County Board of Commissioners". INDY Week. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
6. "Wake County sheriff seeks his 2nd term, Durham County sheriff plans to run for a 3rd". WRAL. December 4, 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
7. "2026_primary_candidate_list_by_contest.pdf" (PDF). North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved 21 December 2025.