Incumbent Stormie Forte placed first in Tuesday’s Raleigh City Council at-large primary, as expected, followed by small business owner Sana Siddiqui in second place. With 33% and 24% of votes, respectively, they are the front-runners among four candidates who will advance to the November general election and compete for two at-large seats.
“This campaign has always been about listening to people across our city and working toward a stronger future for Raleigh,” Siddiqui told the INDY. “I’m thankful for the support and looking forward to the work ahead.”
Clark Rinehart, a longtime pastor turned business consultant, and Joshua Bradley, a self-described socialist, also made the cut, although they have a slim chance at winning in November if the primary is any indication. This is Bradley’s fourth attempt at election, following unsuccessful City Council runs in 2019, 2022, and 2024, in which he placed sixth out of seven candidates.
This was the first time Raleigh has held a City Council primary. Though it was nonpartisan, it unsurprisingly drew mostly Democratic candidates, with the exception of Republican James Bledsoe and Bradley, who is a Green Party member. Bradley edged out Bledsoe by only 575 votes—he and his “campaign collective” watched results come in at an Indian restaurant in North Raleigh, he said.
In the District C primary, longtime incumbent Corey Branch and Jared Ollison, a deputy with the Wake County sheriff’s office, advanced. Branch, who won more than 50% of the vote, is widely expected to be reelected.
The current City Council has a solid progrowth majority, with most members committed to denser urban development and more housing. Still, there are a few voices who tend to swing on issues of large-scale development, namely Megan Patton, Jane Harrison, and Christina Jones. Patton and Harrison have each spoken about the need for environmental sustainability, while Jones has placed more weight on community concerns around neighborhood preservation.
Every seat on the council, including the mayor’s, is set to appear on the ballot in the fall, though incumbents are favored to win. Still, the council will get at least one new member this year who could tip some housing and development votes.
If elected for another term, Forte wrote in her INDY questionnaire that she would prioritize addressing “a growing unsheltered community, aging infrastructure and the need for more public safety employees for the Raleigh Police and Fire Departments.” Forte also highlighted her big idea to attract a Major League Baseball team to Raleigh.
The majority of current City Council members have said they support putting another affordable housing bond before voters in November. Raleigh’s first affordable housing bond, for $80 million, was approved by 72% of voters in 2020. For a future bond, Forte has said she’d recommend $100 million, as opposed to the $200 million some activists have proposed.
Siddiqui, Rinehart, and Bradley each said they would also support a future affordable housing bond in their responses to INDY questionnaires. Siddiqui, however, said that was only so long as council members “clearly communicate the expected outcomes and how the funds would be used.”
“Increasing supply alone isn’t enough,” she wrote. “When public dollars or land-use incentives are used, we should require clear income targeting and longer affordability periods.”
As of mid-2025, the City Council had spent $56 million worth of the bond, according to a presentation from Emila Sutton, director of the Department of Housing and Neighborhoods. Per Sutton, that money funded the creation of 891 affordable units through public-private partnerships and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) gap financing; the acquisition of land for more than 300 new units; and homebuyer assistance or home repairs for an additional 107 units.
But critics have pointed out that much of the new housing is designed to be affordable to people making up to 80% of the area median income (AMI)—or up to $72,950 for a single person in Raleigh. Some activists argue the City Council isn’t prioritizing its most vulnerable residents—people with low or extremely low income, up to $46,450 for a single person.
That includes Bradley, who wrote that a future bond should fund the construction of housing for residents who make under 50% AMI and who are unhoused.
“The city needs to prioritize housing for the working class and the poor,” he wrote. “I decided to run … because I feel that for far too long, the council has catered to the needs of wealthy developers and donors who do not represent the people.”
Rinehart, who was tucking his child into bed when the election results came in, has some more creative ideas when it comes to affordable housing. One possible solution he supports is the growing “Yes in God’s Backyard” movement, which proposes building more housing through partnerships with nonprofits and faith-based organizations, which may own valuable but underutilized real estate in city centers.
“Don’t imagine historical steeples being demolished, but rather surface parking lots that are owned by these tax-exempt organizations being activated for the public good,” Rinehart wrote in his INDY questionnaire.
Rinehart told the INDY he’s “incredibly grateful” to his family and the volunteers who supported him. Having gotten through the primary, he said he sees “a very clear path forward.”
“There’s a lot of work to do to catchup between now and November 3,” he said. “Today I’m focused on regrouping and proud to have the trust of so many Raleighites. Back to the drawing board for me.”
All the City Council races in November are expected to be contested except for District B, where Patton is running unopposed. And because of changes implemented in May 2024, the mayor, top vote-getter in the at-large race, and District A and B council members will be elected to four-year terms in 2026, rather than the current two.
Results are unofficial until certified.
This story has been updated with post-election comments from Rinehart. Comment on this story at [email protected].