Durham mayor, newcomers lead in campaign fundraising before Tuesday primary
.JPG "A person walks by a voting sign outside the Durham County Main Library on the first day of early voting, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Durham, N.C.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Incumbent Mayor Leo Williams leads fundraising with $104,677 raised so far.
- Newcomers Matt Kopac and Diana Medoff outraised incumbents, showing local backing.
- Multiple candidates have not filed finance reports; reporting triggers on spending.
Incumbent Mayor Leo Williams leads the field in fundraising ahead of Durham’s municipal primary, but several newcomers show strong totals, campaign finance reports reveal.
The reports provide the latest public glimpse into donor support just before Tuesday’s primary, which will narrow the fields for mayor and the City Council’s three ward seats to the top two finishers in each race.
The fundraising figures in this story reflect only those of the candidates who have filed reports with the state and county boards of election for 2025. Three reports have been due so far:
- Mid-Year Report: Jan. 1 to June 30, due July 25
- 35-Day Report: July 1 to Aug. 26, due Sept. 2
- Pre-Primary Report: Aug. 27 to Sept. 22, due Sept. 27
There is another filing period, the Pre-Election Report, due Oct. 27.
Mayor’s Race: Outside support for Williams
Williams, who is seeking a second term as mayor, has raised the most money among all 18 candidates. He reported $104,677, which includes $16,6723 left over from previous years, according to his campaign’s latest report.
- For the most recent filing period (Aug. 27 to Sept. 22), Williams raised $11,151. Of that, $4,750, or 42%, came from donors outside Durham.
- The largest donation of that period was $2,000 from the NC Realtors PAC, based in Greensboro.
- In the previous filing period, an even greater share, 65%, came from outside Durham, highlighted by a $6,400 donation from investor Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of California-based Activision Blizzard.
Williams faces four opponents for the top seat.
Anjanée Bell leads the challengers with just over $20,000 raised, she said Friday, but her most recent report online was submitted Aug. 22. In a phone call, she said she filed reports for the 35-Day and Pre-Primary periods and will check with the Board of Elections on Monday to see why they don’t appear online.
Local educator Pablo Friedmann is next with just over $2,000, the majority of which ($1,956) was self-funded. Candidates Lloyd Phillips and Rafiq Zaidi have not filed reports, a state requirement only for candidates who expect to spend more than $1,000.
Ward races: Challengers outpace incumbents
Two newcomers running for City Council seats have outraised their incumbent opponents, signaling strong support in the ward race.
In Ward 1, Matt Kopac, a Durham Planning Commission member, is the second-highest fundraiser of the entire election cycle, bringing in over $60,000. Kopac’s team reports he has the most individual donors of all candidates.
Kopac’s support has primarily come from Durham and the Triangle area, with notable donations from former Durham City Councilwoman Jillian Johnson at $1,593, and an endorsement from the influential People’s Alliance PAC.
Incumbent Councilwoman DeDreana Freeman submitted reports showing $17,342 raised so far. In the latest filing period, $4,753 was raised with roughly half coming from individuals in Durham. Nearly all of Freeman’s donors are from Durham and the Triangle area.
In the broader six-person field for Ward 1, Elijah King, an N.C. Democratic Party third vice-chair, reported $13,611, while Andrea Cazales, a local nurse and community advocate, reported over $5,000.
In Ward 2, incumbent Councilman Mark-Anthony Middleton faces two challengers, Ashley Robbins and Shanetta Burris. Middleton’s campaign team is the only one to file finance reports, bringing in almost $9,300, records show.
In Ward 3, newcomer Diana Medoff, a third-grade teacher, has significantly outraised her opponent, appointed incumbent Councilwoman Chelsea Cook.
Records show Medoff brought in over $40,000 total, with over $20,000 raised during the Pre-Primary period. Medoff’s support is highly localized, with 73% of Pre-Primary donations coming from Durham contributors.
Cook reported raising over $10,713. Challenger Terry McCann, an educator, raised over $6,200, records show. Of that, $2,000 came from the Durham Republican Executive Committee.
About the numbers
Campaign fundraising is a key indicator of which donors and organizations are financially investing in the city’s leadership.
These dollar amounts are reported by the campaigns and reflect all money raised from the start of the year through September. According to the Durham County Board of Elections, all figures are subject to final audit after the election.
Additionally, only candidates who raise and spend more than $1,000 for their campaigns are required by law to report those records to the state and county.
As such, Ward 1 candidates Samaria McKenzie and Sheryl Smith, Ward 2 candidates Robbins and Burris, Ward 3 candidate Durant Long, and mayoral candidates Phillips and Zaidi, have not filed financial reports with the state yet.
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 5:20 PM.