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Sanford, Lee County

Lee County: Jamey Laudate leads District 4 commissioner race in unofficial returns

With all four District 4 precincts in, the Democrat led Republican Eric N. Davidson 4,026 to 2,763. The Sanford Herald and The Rant also covered the race. Not certified.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Alexandru Stanciu · Published

A downtown street in Sanford, N.C.

File photo: Indy beetle (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Unofficial results from the North Carolina State Board of Elections for Lee County Board of Commissioners District 4, with all 4 of 4 precincts reporting, listed Democrat Jamey Laudate with 4,026 votes (59.30%) and Republican Eric N. Davidson with 2,763 votes (40.70%).Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial Lee County results file, accessed Nov. 4, 2026
  • The Sanford Herald independently reported the same 4,026–2,763 totals (59.30% to 40.70%) and wrote that Laudate defeated Davidson on Tuesday.Confirmed by The Sanford Herald, Nov. 3, 2026
  • The Rant independently reported the same 4,026–2,763 figures, identified Laudate as a former Lee County Board of Education member, and wrote that Democrats would control the county board for the first time in several years if the result holds.Confirmed by The Rant, Nov. 3, 2026
  • The same unofficial State Board file listed Democrat Robert Reives with 2,830 votes (77.30%) and Republican Louis D. Williams with 831 (22.70%) in District 1, with all 4 of 4 precincts reporting; Republican Kirk D. Smith with 2,699 (57.38%) and write-ins with 2,005 (42.62%) in District 2, with all 7 of 7 precincts reporting; and Republican Andre Knecht with 2,927 votes in District 3, with all 4 of 4 precincts reporting and no other named candidate on the ballot.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial Lee County results file, accessed Nov. 4, 2026
  • The Rant reported that Reives defeated Williams with 77% of the vote, that Smith turned back an unaffiliated write-in challenge, that Knecht had no challenger, and that Laudate would join Reives and at-large commissioners Mark Lovick and Cameron Sharpe in what The Rant described as a new 4-3 Democratic majority.Confirmed by The Rant, Nov. 3, 2026

Still unknown

  • Final certified totals after provisional ballots and the county canvass
  • Official board confirmation of party control after new members are seated

What this means for you

Instructions from North Carolina State Board of Elections

This site is not an elections office. Unofficial results are on the State Board's election-results site. Certified results come later from the county canvass. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

What happened

In Lee County, Democrat Jamey Laudate is leading Republican Eric N. Davidson for the Board of Commissioners District 4 seat in unofficial returns from the Nov. 3 election.

An unofficial North Carolina State Board of Elections file listed Laudate with 4,026 votes (59.30%) and Davidson with 2,763 (40.70%), with every District 4 precinct reporting. Those figures are not certified. The Sanford Herald reported the same totals and said he defeated Davidson on Tuesday. The Rant independently matched the vote counts, identified Laudate as a former county school board member, and said Democrats would control the board for the first time in several years if the result holds.

Other commissioner contests in the same unofficial Lee County file showed Democrat Robert Reives ahead of Republican Louis D. Williams in the District 1 race, 2,830 to 831, after all four precincts reported; Republican Kirk D. Smith ahead of write-in votes in the District 2 race, 2,699 to 2,005, after all seven precincts reported; and Republican Andre Knecht with 2,927 votes in the District 3 race after every precinct reported and no other named candidate on the ballot. The Rant covered those district outcomes and wrote that Laudate would join Reives and at-large commissioners Mark Lovick and Cameron Sharpe in what it described as a new 4-3 Democratic majority.

Certification follows the county canvass. This site is not an elections office. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Related coverage

Why it matters

Lee County commissioners set the tax rate and fund local services in Sanford and the rest of the county. Readers need the unofficial District 4 margin before certification.

Updates

  1. Nov 4, 2026, 12:18 PM

    First file from unofficial NCSBE Lee County commissioner tallies plus The Sanford Herald and The Rant on District 4.

Sources

  1. Lee County unofficial results file (NCSBE enr/20261103/data/results_53.txt: LEE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 04; Jamey Laudate DEM 4,026 / 59.30%; Eric N. Davidson REP 2,763 / 40.70%; 4 of 4 precincts. DISTRICT 01 Reives DEM 2,830 / 77.30% Williams REP 831 / 22.70%; DISTRICT 02 Smith REP 2,699 / 57.38% Write-In 2,005 / 42.62%; DISTRICT 03 Knecht REP 2,927; precincts as listed)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 12:18 PM

  2. Laudate wins Lee County commissioner seat (The Sanford Herald, Nov. 3, 2026: Laudate 4,026 / 59.30%; Davidson 2,763 / 40.70%; margin 1,263 votes. Text-only; no Sanford Herald photos used.)

    Published by The Sanford Herald · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 12:18 PM

  3. Montgomery edges Taylor in tight House race; Democrats flip county board (The Rant, Nov. 3, 2026: Laudate 4,026 / 59.3% over Davidson 2,763; former school board member; Reives 77% over Williams; Smith over write-in; Knecht unopposed; Rant wrote Laudate would join Reives, Lovick and Sharpe for a 4-3 Democratic majority. Text-only.)

    Published by The Rant · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 12:18 PM

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