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.
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.
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.”
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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