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Mayoral election in Durham, North Carolina (2017)
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| 2017 Durham mayoral elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: July 21, 2017 |
| Primary election: October 10, 2017 General election: November 7, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor and city council |
| Total seats up: 4 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
Durham, North Carolina, held elections for mayor and the Ward 1, Ward 2, and Ward 3 seats on the city council in 2017. Incumbent Mayor Bill Bell opted not to run for re-election.[1] At-large Councilman Steve Schewel and former Councilman Farad Ali advanced from the primary election on October 10, 2017, to the general election on November 7, 2017.[2][3][4] Schewel, who took the top spot in the primary with 51 percent of the vote, won the general election with 60 percent.[5][6] For more information about the 2017 city council races, click here.
Durham's three major political action committees (PACs)—the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, the Friends of Durham, and the People's Alliance—split their endorsements in the city's 2017 races. The People's Alliance broke with the other two PACs in all four contests, and its endorsees won three of them.[2][7] Click here to read more about the PACs and their 2017 endorsements.
Mayoral candidates had to file for the 2017 election by July 21, 2017. In order to qualify for the ballot, they had to submit a notice of candidacy and pay a $260.37 filing fee.[4][5]
Elections
General election
Mayor
Incumbent Bill Bell opted not to run for re-election.[1]
☐ Farad Ali
☑ Steve Schewel
Primary election
Mayor[2]
Incumbent Bill Bell opted not to run for re-election.[1]
☑ Farad Ali
☐ Tracy Drinker
☐ Pierce Freelon
☐ Kershemia “Shea” Ramirez
☑ Steve Schewel
☐ Sylvester Williams
☐ Michael Johnson (Withdrawn)
Campaign finance
The figures in the table below are from the most recent report submitted by each candidate as of October 9, 2017. They are reproduced as presented by the candidates in their report summaries.
Endorsements
The table below presents the endorsements identified by Ballotpedia for the general election candidates as of October 30, 2017. To notify us of other endorsements by organizations or elected officials, please email us.[8]
| Endorsements for Mayor of Durham, 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Endorsements |
| Farad Ali | |
| Steve Schewel |
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Additional elections
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2017
The election for mayor of Durham shared the ballot with elections for three seats on the Durham City Council.
Issues
Split endorsements by city PACs
City elections in Durham, like local races in many of the largest cities in the country, are officially nonpartisan. Three major political action committees (PACs) have emerged in the city's nonpartisan electoral environment. According to the Durham Herald-Sun, their endorsements and voter turnout efforts have historically been decisive in mayoral and city council contests.[10]
However, the PACs split their support in 2017. The PAC associated with the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, which formed in 1935 as the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs and describes itself as dedicated to eliminating racial discrimination and advancing the interests of the city's black community, endorsed former Councilman Farad Ali in the open mayoral race, incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden in Ward 1, Mark-Anthony Middleton in the open race in Ward 2, and challenger Shelia Ann Huggins in Ward 3.[11][12]
The Friends of Durham, which the Herald-Sun described as a "business-oriented group" that was formed "to counterbalance a perceived 'liberal' dominance in city and county government," joined the Durham Committee in endorsing Ali, Cole-McFadden, and Middleton but backed incumbent Don Moffitt in Ward 3.[10][13] Moffitt was the only PAC endorsee who failed to advance from the October primary to the November general election.
The PAC associated with the People's Alliance, which bills itself as "a grassroots organization that has been advancing a progressive vision for Durham and our state for more than 40 years," broke with the other two PACs in all four races.[14] It endorsed Councilman Steve Schewel for mayor, challenger DeDreana Freeman in Ward 1, John Rooks Jr. in Ward 2, and challenger Vernetta Alston in Ward 3.[15]
All three PACs have had influence over city races, but the People's Alliance PAC had the strongest electoral track record in the years leading up to the 2017 election. "For the last five or 10 years, the People's Alliance has been the big dog that can deliver 10,000 votes," former Councilman Frank Hyman told the Herald-Sun in July 2017. The paper reported that all of the municipal candidates the PAC had endorsed from 2009 through July 2017 had won their races.[16]
That undefeated record didn't last through the 2017 elections, but People's Alliance-backed candidates did claim three of the four seats. Schewel defeated Ali in the open mayoral race, Freeman defeated incumbent Cole-McFadden in Ward 1, and Alston defeated Huggins in Ward 3. Durham Committee- and Friends of Durham-backed candidate Middleton broke the streak with a win over the People's Alliance-endorsed Rooks in Ward 2.
About the city
- See also: Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in Durham County, North Carolina. As of 2010, its population was 228,330.
City government
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of Durham uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[17]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Durham, North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Durham | North Carolina | |
| Population | 228,330 | 9,535,483 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 111 | 48,622 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 49.2% | 68.7% |
| Black/African American | 38.7% | 21.4% |
| Asian | 5.4% | 2.9% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | 3.4% | 3.1% |
| Multiple | 3.2% | 2.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 13.8% | 9.4% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 88.1% | 87.8% |
| College graduation rate | 49.6% | 31.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $58,905 | $54,602 |
| Persons below poverty level | 15.9% | 14.7% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Durham mayor election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Durham, North Carolina | North Carolina | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Indy Week, "Cora Cole-McFadden Won't Run for Mayor of Durham After All," April 3, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Durham Board of Elections, "Candidate Detail List," accessed July 21, 2017
- ↑ The Herald-Sun, "Who's Running for Office in Durham and Why," July 26, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Durham County Board of Elections, "What's up for Election in 2017?" accessed August 11, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Durham County Board of Elections, "2017 Election Schedule," accessed August 11, 2017
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/07/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Durham," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Durham City Councilman Eddie Davis Won't Run for Re-Election," March 7, 2017
- ↑ The Chronicle, "'Durham is an Endorsement Town': Mayoral Candidates Prepare for Election Day," October 27, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ali for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed October 4, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Durham Herald-Sun, "All About the 3 Durham PACs and Their Endorsement Process," July 28, 2017
- ↑ Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, "Mission & Purpose," accessed October 10, 2017
- ↑ The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2017
- ↑ Friends of Durham, "Friends of Durham Endorsements 2017," accessed October 10, 2017
- ↑ People's Alliance, "Home," accessed October 10, 2017
- ↑ People's Alliance PAC, "2017 Endorsements for Mayor and City Council," accessed October 10, 2017
- ↑ Durham Herald-Sun, "Will the Durham People's Alliance Endorse the City Council Winners Again?" July 28, 2017
- ↑ City of Durham, "City Council," accessed October 28, 2014
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