2022 Raleigh mayoral election

2022 Raleigh mayoral election

← 2019 November 8, 2022 2024 →
 
Candidate Mary-Ann Baldwin Terrance Ruth DaQuanta Copeland
Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan
Popular vote 71,936 62,498 15,730
Percentage 46.68% 40.55% 10.21%

Mayor before election

Mary-Ann Baldwin
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Mary-Ann Baldwin
Democratic

The 2022 mayoral election in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, was originally scheduled to be held on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, but was postponed until November 8, 2022 by the passage of a state law in June 2021 that permanently moved Raleigh municipal elections to even years.[1][2][3] The law also changed the requirement that winners attain a majority of the vote in a runoff if necessary, instead allowing election by a simple plurality. Incumbent mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin sought election to a second term in office.[4] She was challenged by Terrance Ruth and DaQuanta Copeland.[5]

Baldwin succeeded in her bid for re-election, receiving 46.7% of the vote. Ruth finished in second with 40.6% and Copeland finished third with 10.1%.[6][7]

Background[edit]

Incumbent mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin was first elected in 2019 on a platform of affordable housing. The city council passed an $80 million bond to fund the construction of affordable housing via ballot initiative in November 2020, though a similar proposal to fund the construction of public parks was abandoned due to the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Baldwin has faced criticism over being developer-friendly and for her perceived mishandling of Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, as well as the council's decision to ask the state legislature to move the election from odd-numbered to even-numbered years without public comment.[8][9]

Challenger Terrance Ruth announced his candidacy in January 2021, running on a platform of restoring public transparency, promoting engagement, and increasing affordability and equitability. He has served as a Wake County principal, a non-profit director, and is currently a professor of public policy at North Carolina State University.[10] He received the endorsement of the Wake County Democratic Party in July 2022.[11] He also has been endorsed by Livable Raleigh, an organization which opposes Baldwin and the city council's changes to zoning.[12][13]

General election[edit]

Candidates[edit]

Filing for mayoral candidates began at noon on July 1 and ended at noon on July 15.[14] Although the election is officially nonpartisan, all three candidates are members of the Democratic Party.

Declared[edit]

Did not file[edit]

  • Milo Alston, local activist

Declined[edit]

  • Zainab Baloch, community activist, candidate for the Raleigh city council in 2017, and candidate for mayor in 2019 (running for city council district B)[18][19][16]
  • Corey Branch, city councilor (running for re-election)[18][16]
  • Patrick Buffkin, city councilor[18]
  • David Cox, city councilor[18]
  • Kay Crowder, former city councilor[18]
  • Ryan Dexheimer, Student at NC State University[18]
  • Stormie Forte, city councilor (running for at-large seat on city council)[18]
  • Charles Francis, attorney and candidate for mayor in 2017 and 2019[8][18]
  • George Knott, musician and candidate for mayor in 2019[18][20]
  • Jonathan Melton, city councilor (running for re-election)[18][16]
  • Stef Mendell, former city councilor[18]
  • David Knight, city councilor (running for re-election)[18]
  • Russ Stephenson, former city councilor[18]
  • Nicole Stewart, Raleigh mayor pro-temp[18][21]
  • Caroline Sullivan, former Wake County commissioner and candidate for mayor in 2019[18]
  • Justin Sutton, attorney and candidate for mayor in 2019[18][22]

Endorsements[edit]

Mary-Ann Baldwin
Terrance Ruth
Organizations

Results[edit]

Official results[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Mary-Ann Baldwin (incumbent) 71,936 46.68%
Nonpartisan Terrance Ruth 62,498 40.55%
Nonpartisan DaQuanta Copeland 15,730 10.21%
Write-in 3,947 9.48%
Total votes 154,111 100%

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Future Election Dates". Wake County Government.
  2. ^ Burns, Matthew (June 25, 2021). "Raleigh voters won't go to polls till next year after Cooper lets elections bill become law". WRAL.com.
  3. ^ Craver, Richard (June 25, 2021). "Municipal elections delay bill becomes law without governor's signature". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Tauss, Leigh (December 22, 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin Will Seek Second Term". INDY Week. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Wake Board of Elections. "CANDIDATE DETAIL LIST" (PDF). Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "NC SBE Contest Results". er.ncsbe.gov. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  7. ^ Leah, Heather (November 8, 2022). "Mary-Ann Baldwin, re-elected as Raleigh mayor, will have to work with new council members". WRAL.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Pequeño, Leigh Tauss, Thomasi McDonald, Sarah Edwards, Eric Ginsburg, Sara (December 23, 2020). "21 Things We're Watching for 2021". INDY Week.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Raleigh elections moved; vote's transparency questioned". The News and Observer.
  10. ^ Howsam, Melissa (January 29, 2021). "The Race Is On". Raleigh Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Eanes, Lucille Sherman,Zachery (July 26, 2022). "Wake County Dems rebuff Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin". Axios. Retrieved September 11, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "Don't Gut Zoning Protections for Neighborhoods | Livable Raleigh".
  13. ^ "Endorsements | Livable Raleigh".
  14. ^ "Candidate Filing Information". Wake County Government. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  15. ^ Porter, Jane (January 4, 2021). "Raleigh Mayoral Race Draws First Challenger". INDY Week.
  16. ^ a b c d Johnson, Anna (July 8, 2022). "Who is running for Raleigh City Council and mayor? A look at who has filed". The News & Observer. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  17. ^ Fisher, Joe (July 15, 2022). "Raleigh mayor faces 2 challengers critical of city's community engagement". WRAL.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Johnson, Anna (December 23, 2020). "Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin to seek re-election. Who might challenge her?". www.newsobserver.com. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  19. ^ Johnson, Anna (April 22, 2019). "Former candidate, activist Zainab Baloch running to be Raleigh's next mayor". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  20. ^ Johnson, Anna (May 1, 2019). "He'd hate to be Raleigh's next mayor, but he's running anyway. 5 candidates now in race". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  21. ^ Tauss, Leigh (December 14, 2021). "Top Raleigh Council Vote-Getter Nicole Stewart Won't Seek Reelection". INDY Week. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  22. ^ "Wake County Board of Elections list of candidates" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  23. ^ "News & Observer endorsements: Our choice for Raleigh mayor". The News & Observer. October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  24. ^ "Endorsements 2022".

External links[edit]

Official websites for mayoral candidates