As 2025 begins to wind down, many are already looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections across the country — with the filing period for races in North Carolina ending on Friday.

As of Dec. 19, candidates for federal, state and local offices can no longer file to formally begin their campaigns for the 2026 primary elections as a precursor to general elections later in November. In Chatham County, three county commissioner seats are available, as well as the role of sheriff after Mike Roberson announced he would be abdicating the latter position to run for the former. Three seats are available on Chatham County’s Board of Education, and there is a Clerk of Superior Court role open in the county as well.

There will also be a race for the U.S. House of Representatives playing out in Chatham County, as either Nigel Bristow, Loren Bibler, or Richard N. Ojeda II will run as a Democrat against Republican incumbent Richard Hudson for District 9’s seat.

Which Candidates Are On The Ballot?

Below is a list of all the candidates who have filed to run for local office or have declared their intentions to file. Candidates are separated by party affiliation (when relevant) and listed alphabetically by last name.

U.S. House – District 4

  • Nida Allam (D)
  • Valerie Foushee (D) – Incumbent
  • Mahesh (Max) Ganorkar (R)
  • Guy Meilleur (I)
  • Mary Patterson (D)

U.S. House – District 9

  • Loren Bibler (D)
  • Nigel Bristow (D)
  • Richard Hudson (R) – Incumbent
  • Richard N. Ojeda II (D)

North Carolina Senate – District 20

  • Natalie S. Murdock (D) – Incumbent

North Carolina House – District 54

  • Robert T. Reives II (D) – Incumbent

Chatham County Board of Commissioners – District 3

  • Michael R. (Mike) Roberson (D) 
  • Kate O’Brien (D)

Chatham County Board of Commissioners – District 4

  • John M. Crowell (R)
  • Katie Kenlan (D) – Incumbent

Chatham County Board of Commissioners – District 5

  • Lynn Gaines (D)
  • Franklin Gomez Flores (D) – Incumbent
  • Steve Ganley (R)

Chatham County Sheriff

  • Marcus A. Globuschutz (R)
  • Steve Maynor (D) 

Chatham County Board of Education – District 3

 

Chatham County Board of Education – District 4

 

Chatham County Board of Education – District 5

 

District Attorney District 18

  • Jeff Nieman (D) – Incumbent

NC District Court Judge District 18 Seat 01

  • C. Todd Roper (D) – Incumbent

Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court

  • Dana M. Hackney (D)

What Are Upcoming Dates to Know?

Chatham County will also hold an election for the Soil and Water Conservation Board in 2026. The filing period for that election opens June 8 at 12:00 p.m. and runs through July 6 at 12:00 p.m. More information on the county’s specific elections can be found on Chatham County’s website.

Voter registration for the local primary election cycle will close at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 9. Early voting then runs from February 15 to March 2, which is another opportunity to initially register to vote. Primary Election Day itself is Tuesday, March 3, while the general election will end on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

 

Featured image via Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
North Carolina Judges Grapple With Defining ‘Fair’ Elections in Redistricting Suit
North Carolina judges are deciding whether a redistricting lawsuit claiming a state constitutional right to “fair" elections can go to trial.
Tens of Thousands Protest Mexico’s Electoral Law Changes
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tens of thousands of people filled Mexico City’s vast main plaza Sunday to protest President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s electoral law changes they say threaten democracy and could mark a return to the past. The plaza is normally thought to hold nearly 100,000 people, but many protesters who couldn’t fit […]
Brazilian Officials Vow Crackdown on Pro-Bolsonaro Rioters
Written by DAVID BILLER Brazilian authorities vowed Monday to protect democracy and punish thousands of supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro who stormed and trashed the nation’s highest seats of power in chaos with striking similarities to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The protesters swarmed into Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential […]
Election Day Is Nov. 8, but Legal Challenges Already Begin
Written by COLLEEN LONG Election Day is 12 days away. But in courtrooms across the country, efforts to sow doubt over the outcome have already begun. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed this year around the upcoming midterm elections. The suits, largely by Republicans, target rules over mail-in voting, early voting, voter access, voting machines, […]
How a Party of Neo-Fascist Roots Won Big in Italy
Written by NICOLE WINFIELD The Brothers of Italy party, which won the most votes in Italy’s national election, has its roots in the post-World War II neo-fascist Italian Social Movement. Keeping the movement’s most potent symbol, the tricolor flame, Giorgia Meloni has taken Brothers of Italy from a fringe far-right group to Italy’s biggest party. A century after […]
NC Senate Approves Bill Changing Absentee, Early Voting
The bill changes the procedure for requesting and returning absentee ballots, and also restores early voting on the Saturday before Election Day.
News Bites For Friday: Endorsements, Leaves, Advocacy
Durham's mayor makes two endorsements; campaign signs are vandalized; it's leaf season on the Parkway; an Alderman wins a state honor.
Why Did HB2 Repeal Fall Apart?
On Monday, state leaders reached a deal to repeal HB2. Two days later it fell apart. What happened?
Winning Moral Monday
How do you measure the success of "Moral Monday"? Is it participation, elections, policy--or something more?
The Filing Period For 2026 Elections is Over. Who’s Running in Chatham County?
The filing period for races in North Carolina began on Monday. Here's who has declared intentions to run in Chatham County so far.
›