2026 Election profiles

Former U.S. congressman and state senator Wiley Nickel has clinched the role of Wake County District Attorney with 49% of the vote.

Recent polling shows that former Trump Administration official Laurie Buckhout and longtime Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck are leading in the redrawn district. But many voters have yet to make up their minds.

The Democratic primary in the Triangle’s 4th Congressional District could become a referendum on the party’s approach in Congress to battling the Trump administration, as Congresswoman Valerie Foushee faces Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam.

While much of the attention this primary season has focused on the contests for U.S. Senate and seats in Congress — as well as an effort to unseat Senate leader Phil Berger — downballot races across the state feature some noteworthy competition.

Whatley is a former chair of the Republican National Committee. Before that, he was a chairman of North Carolina's Republican Party.

Fewer than 20,000 voters participate in a typical state Senate primary, but GOP primary voters in two counties will have a major impact on the power dynamics in the state legislature.