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Candidate Q & A: 2026 Primary Election for District Attorney in Brunswick, Bladen, and Columbus counties

Two Republican candidates are running for the office of District Attorney in Prosecutorial District 15 in the 2026 Primary Election. They are Jenna Earley (left) and J. K. Somers (right).
Two Republican candidates are running for the office of District Attorney in Prosecutorial District 15 in the 2026 Primary Election. They are Jenna Earley (left) and J. K. Somers (right).

Two Republican candidates are running in the primary race for District Attorney serving Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus counties. WHQR, WECT, and Port City Daily sent the same questionnaire to both candidates to see where they stand on issues impacting the county.

Primary Election Day in North Carolina is scheduled for March 3, 2026, and several races will be on the ballot. This includes a pair of Republican candidates running for the office of District Attorney in the 15th Prosecutorial District covering Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus counties. Since no Democrats have filed to run for this office, the winner of the primary will be the likely winner of 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 solicited responses from the candidates to a list of questions.

The media group sent the same questionnaire to each candidate on Friday, January 16 and requested their responses by Monday, February 2. The responses are listed below, in the order the candidate names will appear on the primary election ballot. They have not been edited.

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. 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.
  • Voters in Brunswick, Bladen and Columbus counties can check their early voting sites and hours of operation by clicking here.
  • Anyone who wants to see if they are registered to vote can do so by clicking here.

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