Who is running in Buncombe County, North Carolina in 2026
- Sheriff
- Quentin Miller and Gary Parris
- County Commissioner, District 1
- Anna V. Stearns and Rob Stetson
- County Commissioner, District 2
- Lonnie Israel and Greg Parks
- Asheville Mayor
- Esther Manheimer and Kim Roney
- Asheville City Council
- Drew Ball, Maggie Ullman Berthiaume, S. Antanette Mosley, Sheneika E. Smith, Jeffrey Burroughs and Keith Young
- Asheville City Board of Education
- Sarah Thornburg, Rebecca Strimer, Liza English-Kelly, Gordon Grant, Daniel Shetley and Daria Datnoff
- Buncombe County Board of Education, District 5
- Judy S. Lewis and Alina Moiseyev
- Buncombe County Board of Education, District 6
- Kim Plemmons and Taras Shevchenko
- U.S. Senator
- Roy Cooper, Michael Whatley, Shannon W. Bray and Michael Dublin
- N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 1
- Anita Earls and Sarah Stevens
- N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 1
- John S. Arrowood and Michael C. Byrne
- N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 2
- Tobias (Toby) Hampson and George Cooper Bell
- N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 3
- Christine Marie Walczyk and Craig Collins
- U.S. Representative, District 11
- Jamie Ager, Jennifer Capps Balkcom and Travis Groo
- N.C. Senate, District 46
- Kyle Whisnant and Warren Daniel
- N.C. Senate, District 49
- Julie Mayfield and CJ Domingo
- N.C. House, District 115
- Lindsey Prather and Anthony J. Penland
Buncombe County
County races in North Carolina are partisan. Two of the three commission seats on the ballot are contested; Commissioner Drew Ball is leaving the board to run for Asheville City Council after redistricting put him in the same district as Al Whitesides. Asheville's mayor and council races are on the Asheville tab.
Sheriff
Vote for oneMiller is seeking a third term. Both candidates say they won't do immigration enforcement for ICE.
Quentin Miller
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRefused to sign a 287(g) agreement with ICE when he took office and says "We do not need ICE in our community." Says he banned no-knock warrants, adopted a duty-to-intervene policy and runs the only sheriff's personnel advisory board in the state. A 2022 WLOS investigation found Buncombe had the state's worst rate of in-custody deaths from 2019 to 2022; Miller blamed the "critical conditions" people arrive in.
Sources: WLOS, WLOS (2022)
County Commissioner, District 1
Vote for oneOpen seat; Commissioner Martin Moore is running unopposed for district attorney instead. Redrawn district lines put Black Mountain in District 1.
Anna V. Stearns
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRob Stetson
Not enough info RepublicanWe found no campaign site, platform or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
County Commissioner, District 2
Vote for oneIsrael won the Democratic primary with 57.7%. We found nothing to judge either candidate by on character; the pick goes to Israel on our tie rule.
Lonnie Israel
Not enough info (best choice in this race) DemocratRunning on disaster recovery money, county infrastructure and preserving farmland. First run for office; we found no endorsements.
Sources: Branch, Yahoo News (Citizen Times)
Unopposed county races
No contestCounty Commissioner, District 3 (Al Whitesides, Democrat); Clerk of Superior Court (Jean Marie Christy, Democrat); District Attorney, District 40 (Martin Moore, Democrat).
Judges and other local contests
Not profiledEvery local judgeship is uncontested: Superior Court District 40 Seat 2 (Alan Thornburg); District Court 40 Seat 1 (Ward D. Scott), Seat 2 (Julie M. Kepple), Seat 3 (Ben Scales), Seat 4 (Susan "Smitty" Dotson-Smith) and Seat 5 (Ed Clontz). Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor (nonpartisan, vote for two of Trent Duncan, Alan Ditmore, Anthony D. Cole and Sara Nichols) is not covered. Black Mountain votes for mayor (Ryan Stone, unopposed), two town council seats (John Richardson, Michael Roberts, C. Michael Sobol and Brittany W. Williams) and one unexpired council term (Larry B. Harris and Cheryl L. Milton); we haven't profiled them. Montreat's three commissioner candidates (Mason Blake, Clay Hamilton and Danny Sharpe) are unopposed for three seats.
Asheville elections
City races are nonpartisan. The new mayor and council take over a city still spending Hurricane Helene recovery money and facing a budget gap of about $30 million. The Asheville City Schools board is elected by city voters.
Mayor
Vote for oneA rematch of 2022, when Manheimer won 21,032 votes to Roney's 17,918. Both back affordable housing, the city's reparations effort and sending non-police responders to some calls. We found nothing that separates them on character, so we don't make a pick.
Esther Manheimer
Seems like good peopleKim Roney
Seems like good peopleCity Council
Vote for threeSix candidates survived a 20-person March primary for three seats; Ball and Ullman led it. Mosley, Smith and Ullman are incumbents. All six are running on Helene recovery and housing costs, and we found nothing in their records that would lower our rating of any of them, so we don't pick three.
Drew Ball
Seems like good peopleMaggie Ullman Berthiaume
Seems like good peopleS. Antanette Mosley
Seems like good peopleSheneika E. Smith
Seems like good peopleJeffrey Burroughs
Seems like good peopleHelped lead the River Arts District's rebuilding after Helene and wants affordable studio space and "trauma-informed" public safety with more mental health response teams. Says "Affordable housing policy should be judged by whether the people who make Asheville work can afford to stay."
Asheville City Board of Education
Vote for fourNonpartisan. Three of the four incumbents elected in 2022 are running again. Our picks are the three incumbents and Grant, a retired Asheville principal; we found nothing on Datnoff and little on Shetley.
Sarah Thornburg
Seems like good people (best choice in this race)Says closing the opportunity gap is her top priority.
Sources: Branch
Rebecca Strimer
Seems like good people (best choice in this race)On the board, backed using federal pandemic relief money right away for student mental health, and wants health centers in Asheville City Schools buildings.
Sources: Branch
Liza English-Kelly
Seems like good people (best choice in this race)Wants a "living wage" for teachers, anti-bias training for staff, and district employees allowed to vote for the board.
Sources: Branch
Gordon Grant
Seems like good people (best choice in this race)Wants to look at a year-round or balanced calendar to cut summer learning loss. First run for office.
Sources: Branch
Daniel Shetley
Not enough infoWe found no platform or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
Daria Datnoff
Not enough infoWe found no campaign site, platform or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
School board
Buncombe County Schools board races are nonpartisan. Three seats are up, and District 3 (Rob Elliot) is unopposed. Voters see the seats for their area on their sample ballot. The Asheville City Schools board race is on the Asheville tab.
Buncombe County Board of Education, District 5
Vote for oneWe found nothing about either candidate beyond their names and Lewis's current seat, so we don't make a pick.
Judy S. Lewis
Not enough infoWe found no campaign site, platform or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
Alina Moiseyev
Not enough infoWe found no campaign site, platform or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
Buncombe County Board of Education, District 6
Vote for oneKim Plemmons
Seems like good people (best choice in this race)Endorsed by the Buncombe County Association of Educators. Says she wants a school community where "all students and families feel safe, respected, engaged, valued, and heard," and decisions made on students' needs "rather than outside political pressure."
Sources: Branch
Taras Shevchenko
Not enough infoWe found no campaign site, platform or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
State and federal
All of Buncombe is in the 11th Congressional District. The county is split between two state Senate districts and three state House districts; look up yours on your sample ballot through the state's voter lookup. Statewide races are listed first.
U.S. Senator
Vote for oneRoy Cooper
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratAs governor he signed the bipartisan bill that expanded Medicaid and vetoed the 12-week abortion ban. Endorsed by the largest federal employees' union, the Sierra Club and the veterans' group Common Defense.
Sources: Ballotpedia, AFGE, Common Defense
Michael Whatley
Not good people RepublicanTrump put him in charge of the RNC to focus on election litigation and the 2020 election, then endorsed him for this seat. He says he backs Trump's agenda, including deporting unauthorized immigrants, "100%."
Sources: The Guardian, Wikipedia, Campaign site
Shannon W. Bray
Not enough info LibertarianHolly Springs police arrested him three times in one week in August 2023 on charges including assault on a female, communicating threats, violating a domestic violence protective order and manufacturing marijuana; we found no record of how the cases ended. Runs on digital privacy and limits on federal surveillance.
Sources: CBS 17, WFAE, Campaign site
Michael Dublin
Seems like good people GreenA retired public school teacher and Marine veteran who co-chairs the state Green Party's Black Caucus and refuses corporate donations. Wants a $$25 minimum wage and a Green New Deal for North Carolina, and says "ICE is a scam" that profits private prisons.
Sources: WFAE, The Election Hub, Ballotpedia
N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 1
Vote for oneAnita Earls
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWrote the 2022 opinion striking down the voter ID law as racially discriminatory, then dissented when the new majority reversed it in 2023. A state ethics inquiry over her comments on bias in the courts was dismissed in 2024.
Sources: Bolts, Carolina Public Press, Ballotpedia
Sarah Stevens
Compromised RepublicanSays judges shouldn't "create laws from the bench," and voted to override the veto of the 12-week abortion ban. Her campaign took two illegal lobbyist contributions; the elections board called it unintentional after she returned them.
Sources: WFAE, Campaign site
N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 1
Vote for oneJohn S. Arrowood
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratHas written more than 650 opinions, including a September 2026 dissent against letting the state auditor appoint local election board members. Endorsed by the state AFL-CIO and Equality NC.
Sources: Victory Fund, News From the States, WFAE
Michael C. Byrne
Compromised RepublicanCalls himself a conservative focused on judicial restraint and constitutional interpretation. Endorsed by the N.C. Police Benevolent Association, the N.C. Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Police Organizations.
Sources: WFAE
N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 2
Vote for oneTobias (Toby) Hampson
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratIn the fight over the 2024 Supreme Court election he dissented against throwing out challenged ballots. Endorsed by the state AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club.
Sources: INDY Week, NC AFL-CIO, Ballotpedia
George Cooper Bell
Not good people RepublicanThe State Bar reprimanded him in 2019 for making a false statement to a court about a client's probation. Names Clarence Thomas as the justice closest to his own views.
Sources: Tennessee Bar Association, WFAE, iVoterGuide
N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 3
Vote for oneOpen seat.
Christine Marie Walczyk
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratSays she is running because she is "increasingly concerned about the public's loss of confidence in the court system." Endorsed by the teachers' association and former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley.
Sources: Campaign site, NCAE
Craig Collins
Compromised RepublicanCampaigns on "Conservative judges matter now more than ever." Endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and the NC Values Coalition.
Sources: WFAE, Ballotpedia
Constitutional amendments
For or againstWe describe what each amendment does and don't make recommendations.
- Photo ID for voting: The constitution already requires photo ID to vote in person. A vote for extends that to every voter, including people voting absentee by mail. A vote against leaves it as it is.
- Maximum income tax rate of 3.5%: Lowers the highest income tax rate the state can ever charge, on people and corporations, from 7% to 3.5%, starting with the 2027 tax year. Supporters say it keeps taxes low and draws business; opponents, including the League of Women Voters, say it would limit money for schools and disaster relief in hard times.
- Property tax levy limit: Requires limits on how much counties and cities can raise property taxes. The amendment leaves the actual limit and any exceptions for the legislature to set later. Supporters say it stops runaway tax bills; opponents say it takes away local control and could squeeze money for schools, emergency services and parks.
U.S. Representative, District 11
Vote for oneRep. Chuck Edwards won the Republican primary but quit the race in August after a bipartisan House Ethics Committee report said he behaved inappropriately toward two young female staffers. The district's Republican committee chose Balkcom to replace him. The UVA Center for Politics rates the race a toss-up.
Jamie Ager
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWon a five-way Democratic primary. Running on lowering costs, fighting cuts to health coverage and getting Western North Carolina its Helene money; his first TV ad says "mountain families have waited too long for our Helene recovery funds."
Sources: Spectrum News, Campaign site
Jennifer Capps Balkcom
Not good people RepublicanDonald Trump endorsed her in August and brought her onstage at his September rally in Gastonia, where she thanked him "for protecting our kid from mutilation." In July 2025 she voted to override Gov. Josh Stein's veto of HB 805, which recognizes only two sexes in state law and limits state money for gender transition care.
Sources: WLOS, WHQR, NC General Assembly
Travis Groo
Not enough info LibertarianWe found no campaign site or platform.
Sources: Buncombe County election notice
N.C. Senate, District 46
Vote for oneTakes in part of Buncombe; both candidates live in Morganton. Daniel's vote makes him "bad" under our rules; we know little about Whisnant, so he gets the pick.
Kyle Whisnant
Not enough info (best choice in this race) DemocratSupports Helene relief money and affordable health care and opposes gerrymandering. We found no endorsements or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
Warren Daniel
Not good people RepublicanIn July 2025 voted to override Gov. Josh Stein's vetoes of HB 805, which recognizes only two sexes in state law and limits state money for gender transition care, and HB 318, the "Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act."
Sources: NC General Assembly, NC General Assembly, NC Health News, NC General Assembly
N.C. Senate, District 49
Vote for oneJulie Mayfield
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratVoted against overriding Gov. Josh Stein's vetoes of HB 805 (the two-sexes bill) and HB 318 (the "Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act") in July 2025. Has filed bills to raise the minimum wage to $15 and to extend in-state tuition to Dreamers.
Sources: NC General Assembly, NC General Assembly, Branch, NC General Assembly
CJ Domingo
Not enough info RepublicanWants incentives for employers to create local careers and better transit and water systems. We found no endorsements or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
N.C. House, District 115
Vote for oneLindsey Prather
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratVoted against overriding Gov. Josh Stein's vetoes of HB 805 (the two-sexes bill) and HB 318 (the "Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act") in July 2025.
Sources: NC General Assembly, NC General Assembly, Branch, NC General Assembly
Anthony J. Penland
Not enough info RepublicanWants more money to repair and protect infrastructure and to fund first responders. We found no endorsements or news coverage.
Sources: Branch
Unopposed state legislative seats
No contestN.C. House District 114 (Eric Ager, Democrat) and District 116 (Brian Turner, Democrat).
Ballot questions
We describe what each measure does and don't make recommendations. The three statewide constitutional amendments are in the statewide section. Bond tax figures are the ballot's own estimates for a home valued at $100,000.
Buncombe County bonds
Propositions- Open space bonds: $30 million to buy and improve land for conservation, farm and scenic land protection, parks, greenways and trails. Total cost with interest about $47.6 million; about $4.10 a year in property tax.
- Housing bonds: $40 million for housing for people with low or moderate incomes, including related land and infrastructure. Total cost with interest about $63.5 million; about $5.50 a year in property tax.
More North Carolina guides
Governor, statewide offices and ballot measures: North Carolina statewide races.
- Wake County: Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Morrisville, Knightdale
- Mecklenburg County: Charlotte, Huntersville, Matthews, Cornelius, Mint Hill, Davidson, Pineville
- Durham County: Durham, Bahama, Rougemont, Research Triangle Park, Raleigh
- Guilford County: Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown, Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Gibsonville, Pleasant Garden, Stokesdale
- Forsyth County: Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Clemmons, Lewisville, Walkertown, Rural Hall