Tonya McDaniel
Tonya McDaniel (Democratic Party) is a member of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina, representing District A. She assumed office on December 3, 2018. Her current term ends on December 7, 2026.
McDaniel (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners to represent District A in North Carolina. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. She advanced from the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Forsyth County, North Carolina (2026)
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A (2 seats)
Incumbent Tonya McDaniel (D), incumbent Malishai Woodbury (D), and Contessa Smith (R) are running in the general election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Tonya McDaniel (D) | |
 | Malishai Woodbury (D) | |
| Contessa Smith (R) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A (2 seats)
Incumbent Tonya McDaniel (D) and incumbent Malishai Woodbury (D) defeated Natasha Smith (D) and Kimberly Hinton-Robinson (D) in the Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tonya McDaniel | 36.4 | 6,552 |
| ✔ | | Malishai Woodbury | 32.4 | 5,831 |
 | Natasha Smith | 17.3 | 3,117 | |
 | Kimberly Hinton-Robinson | 13.8 | 2,487 | |
| Total votes: 17,987 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Contessa Smith (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A without appearing on the ballot.
Endorsements
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2022
See also: Municipal elections in Forsyth County, North Carolina (2022)
General election
General election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A (2 seats)
Incumbent Tonya McDaniel and Malishai Woodbury defeated Michael R. Owens and Reginald Reid in the general election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tonya McDaniel (D) | 39.6 | 21,050 |
| ✔ | | Malishai Woodbury (D) | 37.7 | 20,039 |
| Michael R. Owens (R) | 12.2 | 6,484 | ||
| Reginald Reid (R) | 10.6 | 5,647 | ||
| Total votes: 53,220 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A (2 seats)
Incumbent Tonya McDaniel and Malishai Woodbury defeated incumbent Fleming El-Amin, Phil Carter, and Gardenia Henley in the Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tonya McDaniel | 27.4 | 3,413 |
| ✔ | | Malishai Woodbury | 23.8 | 2,967 |
| Fleming El-Amin | 23.1 | 2,879 | ||
| Phil Carter | 15.9 | 1,984 | ||
 | Gardenia Henley | 9.7 | 1,212 | |
| Total votes: 12,455 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Michael R. Owens and Reginald Reid advanced from the Republican primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A.
2018
General election
General election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A (2 seats)
Tonya McDaniel and incumbent Fleming El-Amin won election in the general election for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tonya McDaniel (D) | 57.8 | 25,971 |
| ✔ | Fleming El-Amin (D) | 42.2 | 18,937 | |
| Total votes: 44,908 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A (2 seats)
Tonya McDaniel and incumbent Fleming El-Amin defeated incumbent Everette Witherspoon and Tony Lewis Burton III in the Democratic primary for Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tonya McDaniel | 27.5 | 3,348 |
| ✔ | Fleming El-Amin | 25.3 | 3,077 | |
 | Everette Witherspoon | 24.0 | 2,915 | |
| Tony Lewis Burton III | 23.2 | 2,822 | ||
| Total votes: 12,162 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tonya McDaniel has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Tonya McDaniel asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Tonya McDaniel, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
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You can ask Tonya McDaniel to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing tonyadmcdaniel@gmail.com.
Campaign website
McDaniel's campaign website stated the following:
Resiliency
In a time when our community—especially the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System—is facing unprecedented challenges, Tonya D. McDaniel believes in our unshakable spirit. We are a resilient people, and together, we will rise above obstacles and create brighter opportunities for every child and family.
Infrastructure & Innovation
A strong economy begins with strong foundations. Tonya is committed to attracting new businesses to Forsyth County that bring stable, high-quality jobs. She fosters partnerships with our educational powerhouses—Forsyth Tech, Winston-Salem State University, Salem College—to ensure residents are equipped with cutting-edge skills for today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.
Sustainability
True leadership plans for tomorrow while serving today. Tonya works to create policies that balance economic growth with environmental stewardship, ensuring that future generations inherit a county rich in opportunity and protected natural resources.
Experience
True leadership plans for tomorrow while serving today. Tonya works to create policies that balance economic growth with environmental stewardship, ensuring that future generations inherit a county rich in opportunity and protected natural resources.
— Tonya McDaniel's campaign website (March 1, 2026)
2022
Tonya McDaniel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McDaniel's responses.
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Employed with United Health Centers as the Public Affairs and Relations Officer, which operates the Federally Qualified Health Center.
McDaniel has three children and three grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys Zumba and playing Scrabble.
- Maintaining Forsyth County Property Tax Rates
- Building Back Better Together Forsyth County District A
- Investing in Education and Safety
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District A |
Personal |
Footnotes
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