As the Orange County Schools district grapples with many of the same challenges other public schools are in North Carolina, four seats on the Board of Education are up for grabs in 2026.
After only one of the 2024 races for the Orange County Board of Commissioners was contested in the primary cycle, all three have competition this year.
After running unopposed in 2022, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood faces competition in the Democratic primary from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office’s Director of Planning and Development David LaBarre.
NC-09 has long been a Republican stronghold. This spring, four Democrats are running for the chance to face longtime U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson on the November ballot.
Incumbent board member and vice-chair Sarah Smylie is one of six candidates vying for four seats on the county school system’s Board of Education this spring, with early voting beginning on February 12 and Primary Election Day on Tuesday, March 3.