Today is Primary Day in Durham. Voters to narrow the field for November.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham holds municipal primary Oct. 7 to narrow mayor and council fields.
- Eighteen candidates compete for mayor and three ward seats; 12 will be eliminated.
- Polls open 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; only city residents vote at assigned precincts.
Durham voters will take the first step to elect a new City Council today, Oct. 7, with the municipal primary election.
Eighteen people have filed to run for the four open seats this year: for mayor and council’s three ward seats.
Incumbents Mayor Leo Williams and council members Chelsea Cook, DeDreana Freeman and Mark-Anthony Middleton — are on the ballot; all face challengers.
As of Monday, 211,328 residents were eligible to vote in the municipal elections. Early voter turnout numbers showed 11,256 people cast ballots between Sept. 18 and Oct. 4. That’s just five more voters compared to the 2023 early voting period numbers, when 11,251 residents voted.
Polls close at 7:30 p.m.
How Durham’s primary election works
After the primary, the top two finishers in the races for mayor and each of the ward seats will move forward to the Nov. 4 general election.
Only registered voters who live within the city limits can cast their ballot. All may vote for mayor and each of the ward seats, regardless of where they live in the city. The council candidates must live in the ward they’re running in.
When and where you can vote Tuesday
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. for the primary election.
Voters need to go to their assigned polling precinct on the primary and general election days, unlike during early voting when people could vote at different locations.
To find your precinct, you can use the State Board of Election’ Election Day Polling Place Search by entering your name and address.
Candidates running for mayor and the ward seats
Here are the 18 candidates running for Durham mayor and Wards 1, 2 and 3 with links to their websites and other information.
- Mayor: Anjanee Bell, Pablo Friedmann, Lloyd Phillips, Leonardo (Leo) Williams*, Rafiq Zaidi
- Ward 1: Andrea Cazales, DeDreana Freeman*, Elijah King, Matt Kopac, Samaria McKenzie, Sheryl Smith
- Ward 2: Shanetta Burris, Mark-Anthony Middleton*, Ashley Robbins
- Ward 3: Chelsea Cook*, Durant Long, Terry McCann, Diana Medoff
*incumbent
Candidate endorsements
The incumbents and some newcomers received endorsements from the city’s top three political groups: the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People PAC, the People’s Alliance PAC, and the Friends of Durham PAC.
The three groups are the oldest PACs in the city and were split on the ward seat endorsements. In recent months, two new PACs endorsed candidates for mayor and wards: the Durham Black PAC and Yes for Durham.
Several candidates also were endorsed by lesser-known PACS, individuals, unions, and other groups.
Money raised (so far)
So far this election, there have been three reporting periods for municipal candidates. All candidates who have spent or raised over $1,000 are required to file finance reports to the state and county boards of elections.
According to reports for this election cycle, which began at the top of the year, Williams has raised the most money. Newcomers Medoff and Kopac have raised the most money among the council ward candidates.
The Durham County Board of Elections says the numbers will be audited at the end of the election cycle. So, some reports could have errors.
After Primary Day, there are three more finance filing periods for this year’s candidates: the 2025 Year-End Semiannual report, the 2026 Mid-Year Semiannual Report, and the 2026 Year-End Semiannual report.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 5:30 AM.