Editor's note: The piece was updated after press to correct information about voting districts, and to include that Republican district winners will face off against Democrats in the general election, Gary Woods in District 1, and Sara Singer in District 2. WHQR regrets the error.
Primary Election Day is scheduled for March 3, 2026, and two Brunswick County races for the Board of Commissioners will be on the ballot.
Two Republican candidates are running for the two commissioner seats up this year, in District 1 and District 2. The district winners will face off against Democratic candidates in the general election, Gary Woods in District 1 and Sara Singer in District 2. Two school board districts are being contested, but there are no primary elections held for them.
Note that Brunswick has districted elections for the boards of education and commissioners. Voters from anywhere in the county can cast a ballot for them, but winners represent specific regions. For example, District 1 covers the southern tip of the county, covering Ocean Isle, Sunset Beach, and everything up to the South Carolina border. District 2 covers both coastal areas, including west of Holden Beach, and some inland areas, south of Bolivia and west of Boiling Spring Lakes. You can find an interactive map of Brunswick County’s voting districts here.
To find out where the candidates stand on the issues, the media consortium of WECT-TV, Port City Daily, and WHQR Public Media solicited responses from candidates on where they stand on issues facing the county.
The media group sent the same questionnaire to each candidate on Friday, January 16, and requested their responses by Monday, February 2. The Q&A’s 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. During a primary election, all registered Democratic candidates can only vote a Democratic ballot and all Republicans a Republican ballot. Though unaffiliated voters can choose either a Republican or Democratic ballot to cast.
- 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, 2026, with voters required to go to their assigned precinct locations.
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 five sites:
- Brunswick County Cooperative Extension - 25 Referendum Drive NE, Building N, Bolivia
- Leland Cultural Arts Center - 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland
- St. James Town Hall – 4140 Southport-Supply Road, Southport
- Brunswick Center at Supply – 101 Stone Chimney Road SE, Supply
- Sunset Beach Community Center – 200 Station Trail, Sunset Beach
- You can find hours of operation and more info here.
Click the names below to access the Q&As for the candidates who have responded.
District 1
District 2
- Marty Cooke (incumbent)
- Patti Hewett