Durham Primary 2025 results: Challengers best incumbents in 2 of 4 races
Challengers led the races for two of the Durham City Council’s four open seats Tuesday night as primary voters narrowed the field for November’s general election.
Incumbents finished first in the races for mayor and the council’s Ward 3 seat, with all 61 precincts reporting as of 10:10 p.m. That includes early voting and absentee ballots.
Eighteen candidates were running for the open seats. Now, two candidates for mayor and six candidates for the ward seats will be on the ballot for the Nov. 4 general election.
Top issues include development, gun violence and youth, housing affordability and environmental concerns. Many homeowners are also concerned about property taxes, as thousands got new property revaluations that rose an average of 70% since the last revaluation.
A reported 11,256 people cast their ballots during early voting. An almost equal number, 11,891 people, voted Tuesday, according to the Board of Elections. There are roughly 239,450 registered voters in Durham County.
Here are the top two finishers in each race, who will now square off against each other in November.
Mayor
Mayor Leo Williams led the field of five candidates with 13,761 votes, or 55%, followed by challenger Anjanee Bell with 7,357 votes, or 30%.
Williams is fighting to keep his seat for a second term with goals of working toward affordability, the city’s growth, revitalization and safety. First elected mayor in 2023, he was endorsed by the city’s oldest political groups: the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, the People’s Alliance and the Friends of Durham.
Bell, the daughter of former Durham mayor and county commissioner Bill Bell, received grassroots support and ran on a commitment to restore “hope” for Durham by fighting for housing, opportunities, safety and education.
Ward 1
In a nailbiter, challenger Matt Kopac led the race with 10,074 votes, or 41%, followed by incumbent DeDreana Freeman, with 9,622 votes, or 39%.
Freeman was first elected to the City Council in 2017 and wants to continue representing Durham residents in Ward 1 to advance equitable development and invest in families, seniors, the climate and infrastructure, according to her website. She was endorsed by several grassroots organizations and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.
Kopac is a member of the Durham Planning Commission and wants to prioritize affordability, the environment and safety. He was endosed by the People’s Alliance and the Friends of Durham, and by local officials, including Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam and Councilwoman Javiera Caballero.
Ward 2
The gap widened throughout the night, with challenger Shanetta Burris finishing ahead of incumbent Mark-Anthony Middleton with 11,738 votes, or 49%. Middleton finished with 9,416 votes, or 40%.
Burris is a local grassroots organizer who plans to prioritize housing affordability, the environment, city infrastructure and safety in Durham. She was endorsed by the People’s Alliance.
Middleton was first elected eight years ago and is running to keep his seat to continue fighting for community safety and guaranteed income for residents. He received endorsements from the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the Friends of Durham.
Ward 3
Incumbent Chelsea Cook led her race with 14,712 votes, or 60%, followed by challenger Diana Medoff with 6,238 votes, or 25%.
Cook was appointed to the Durham City Council last year to fill Williams’s council seat after he won the mayoral race. She is a Legal Aid attorney and advocates for the city’s homeless population and environment. This year, Cook was endorsed by the People’s Alliance.
Medoff is a former third-grade teacher at Duke School. She was endorsed by the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the Friends of Durham. She has prioritized economic development, housing, parks and safety during her campaign.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 8:22 PM.