Local

Primary Election 2026: New Hanover County Board of Commissioners candidate questionnaires

WHQR | By WHQR Staff

Published January 29, 2026 at 1:24 PM EST

Election Day voting site in downtown Wilmington.

Two seats are open, with four Democrats vying for them, and whoever wins the primary race will face off against two Republicans and a Libertarian candidate during the general election. To find out where the candidates stand on the issues, the media consortium of WECT-TV, Port City Daily, and WHQR Public Media has solicited responses to questions about the issues facing the county.

Primary Election Day is scheduled for March 3, with early voting starting on February 12. Several New Hanover County races will be on the ballot, including Democratic candidates seeking seats on the board of commissioners.

The media group sent the same questionnaire to each candidate on Friday, January 16 and requested their responses by Monday, January 26. The Q&As have only been edited for clarity and are published below.

But before reading, here are a few items to keep in mind ahead of the primary election:

All registered Democratic candidates can only vote a Democratic ballot and all Republicans a Republican ballot. Unaffiliated voters can choose either a Republican or Democratic ballot to vote during the primary election.
A valid ID is required to cast a ballot in North Carolina. If you do not have an ID you will have to fill out a photo ID exemption form.
Primary Election Day is March 3, with voters required to go to their assigned precinct locations. (You can look up your election-day polling location here.)
Early voting opens Feb. 12 and closes Feb. 28, and voters can register on the same day they cast a ballot at any of these four sites: Board of Elections Multipurpose Room (226 Government Center Dr.); Northeast Library David Poynter Room (1241 Military Cutoff Road); Carolina Beach Town Hall’s Police Training Room (1121 N. Lake Park Blvd.), Cape Fear Community College’s McLeod Building, (411 N. Front St.). See all hours of operation here
Anyone who wants to see if they’re registered to vote can do so here

Before the primary election, WECT, Port City Daily, and WHQR will host two candidate forums. The first, for both Republican and Democratic school board candidates, will be held on Monday, February 2, at 6 p.m. A second forum, for Democratic candidates running for the county board of commissioners, will be held Wednesday, February 4, at 6 p.m.

Both events will be held at WHQR studios in downtown Wilmington, located at 254 N. Front St., and will be streamed online.

Audience questions will be considered and can be submitted here ahead of the event.

Click the names below to access the Q&As for the candidates: