Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood is poised to earn his fourth term in the role, as he is projected to win Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Blackwood led with 58.41% of the vote in Orange County, compared to Durham County Sheriff’s Office employee and David LaBarre’s 41.59%. The race did not have Republican candidate file in the primary, meaning Blackwood is slated to earn easy re-election in November.
After watching the results come through with family and friends on Tuesday night, the sheriff told 97.9 The Hill he felt “deeply humbled and honored” to be re-elected and said he believes the victory belongs equally to the staff of the office who wear the uniform.
“To the residents and citizens of this county,” Blackwood said, “I pledge to continue serving with integrity, transparency, and a steadfast commitment to keeping our county safe. We’ve accomplished a lot of the last 11 years, and we look forward to building upon that progress for another term.”
Blackwood’s re-election forecasts his continued work in the office where he’s served for 45 years. After starting as a patrol deputy, he earned several promotions in the Patrol Division before transitioning to Captain of services, which supervises the Civil Process Division and all operations at the Orange County Courthouse. He became Major of Operations, which supervises all of the sheriff’s office’s divisions in 2010 before retiring to run for sheriff. A lifelong Orange County resident, Blackwood was first elected in 2014 after a narrow race against David Caldwell. He defeated Tony White in the 2018 Democratic primary and ran unopposed in 2022.
LaBarre, who is the director of planning and development for the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, campaigned on wanting the Orange County office to have more independent oversight to review annual budget practices and policies. He also advocated for not sending any detainees wanted by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol to Alamance County for deportation — something he said Blackwood’s office has done at least once before. Blackwood told the News & Observer he moved the detainee, who was charged with assaulting three deputies, in order to keep his deputies safe and prevent any chance of retaliation. A Washington D.C.-based organization called the Local Accountability PAC also made headlines in the race by distributing mailers to voters with a quote misattributed to Blackwood, which LaBarre actually said to the News & Observer, about not interfering with ICE operations within the sheriff’s office’s jurisdiction.
In addition to responding to the federal government’s push for deportations, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office’s role in the community to help with public safety beyond strictly law enforcement played a part. Blackwood touted his office’s outreach to Latine residents, efforts to partner with Meals on Wheels, and local partnerships to build goodwill “without lights and sirens on” as examples — as well as using compassionate in law enforcement.
“In my life, I have learned so much about how people are treated,” he said, “and I think it’s reciprocal. If you treat people [well] and be honest with them, they will be good and honest to you – even if they are in despair or deeply involved in the criminal justice system. There is a possibility to be involved in somebody’s life when they’re criminally involved and have good come from it…and that’s my goal every day.”
In his conversation with 97.9 The Hill, Blackwood said he wished the race did not take the “negative” tone and tactics it ultimately did — having personally warned LaBarre of how “outside influences and people who are our supporters” are often the ones who make elections emotionally charged.
“I’m ashamed of the turn that it took — I think it was very distasteful,” Blackwood said. “In my history and even before I began running for office, the people who run for office in Orange County are often co-workers and people who work within the same systems together…and they’ve always been respectful of one another. And that wasn’t the case in this situation, and it was hurtful.”
Still, the sheriff said he is putting the experience behind him and said the primary cycle made it clear the community remains passionate about effective public safety and equity in addition to immigration. He also said he enjoys the election process as an opportunity to not only inform voters about the work the Orange County Sheriff’s Office does but to hear feedback from residents — although he implored community members to “please [not] wait until 2030 to tell me about the ideas and thoughts you have” about the office’s practices.
“Bring those questions and suggestions to us now,” Blackwood said. “We’re here…we’re eager to hear from you, we’re eager to improve upon the work we’re doing to make this a better and safer place to live.”
Additional results from around Orange and Chatham counties on Tuesday night can be found on Chapelboro’s 2026 Primary Election Results page.
Featured photo via the Committee to Re-Elect Charles Blackwood Sheriff.
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