Democrats dominated Wake County’s partisan races, beating out Republican challengers for the Board of Commissioners, district attorney, and sheriff races.
“We swept the race, and I think that really speaks to the job we’re doing and our acceptance with the voters,” said Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson.
Nearly 58 percent of registered Wake voters cast ballots in the election.
As expected, Democrats maintained complete control of the Board of Commissioners, with newcomers Susan Evans and Vickie Adamson joining incumbents Jessica Holmes, Greg Ford, James West, Matt Calabria, and Sig Hutchinson. Democrats cinched more than 60 percent of the vote in each contested race, blocking out Republican challengers David Blackwelder, Alex Moore, Kim Coley, Greg Jones, and Frann L. Sarpolus.
It may be the end of the immigration program 287(g) in Wake County, with Democrat Gerald Baker’s 55 percent victory over longtime Republican incumbent sheriff Donnie Harrison. Baker has pledged to end the controversial program, which partners local law enforcement with federal immigration authorities and has contributed to the deportation of more than fifteen hundred undocumented Wake County residents.
Democratic incumbent District Attorney Lorrin Freeman maintains her seat after gaining 63 percent of votes over Republican John Walter Bryant, while Democrat Blair Williams snagged the Wake County Clerk of the Superior Court race with 59 percent of votes over Republican challenger Jennifer Knox.
On the Board of Education—nonpartisan seats—Roxie Cash (a registered Republican), Heather Scott, Jim Martin, and Lindsay Mahaffey came out on top, joining uncontested candidates Monika Johnson-Hostler, Keith A. Sutton, Christine Kushner, Kathy Hartenstine, and Bill Fletcher on the board.
On the nonpartisan Soil and Water Commission race, incumbent Jenna Wadsworth was reelected along with newcomer Nervahna Crew.
Additionally, voters overwhelmingly approved more than $1 billion in bonds, including a $548 million school construction bond, a $349 million Wake Tech bond, and a $120 million parks, greenways, and open space bond.
