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Raleigh, Wake County

Raleigh: Janet Cowell wins a second term as mayor; Forte and Siddiqui lead at-large

Update, Nov. 4: Unofficial State Board tallies with all 109 Raleigh mayor precincts in showed Cowell at 81.68%. The same file listed Stormie Forte and Sana Siddiqui ahead for the two at-large council seats, with district winners matching independent outlet reports. Not certified.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Alexandru Stanciu · Published · Updated

Downtown Raleigh buildings under a blue sky

File photo: James Willamor (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The Associated Press called the Raleigh mayor's race for incumbent Janet Cowell on Tuesday night, Nov. 3, 2026, The News & Observer reported.Confirmed by The News & Observer, Nov. 3, 2026
  • CBS 17 independently reported that Cowell successfully defended the office against challenger Ashleigh Heath Armstrong.Confirmed by CBS 17, Nov. 3, 2026
  • Unofficial results from the North Carolina State Board of Elections for the City of Raleigh Mayor contest, with all 109 of 109 precincts reporting, listed Cowell with 141,393 votes (81.68%), Armstrong with 29,667 votes (17.14%), and write-in votes with 2,049 (1.18%).Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial Wake County results file, accessed Nov. 4, 2026
  • In the City of Raleigh City Council at-large race (vote for 2), the same unofficial file listed Ms. Stormie Denise Forte with 111,618 votes (37.31%), Sana Siddiqui with 97,302 (32.52%), Clark Rinehart with 44,860 (15.00%), Joshua Bradley with 43,098 (14.41%), and write-ins with 2,287 (0.76%), with all 109 of 109 precincts reporting.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial Wake County results file, accessed Nov. 4, 2026
  • For District A, the State Board file listed Mitchell Silver with 22,287 votes (60.48%) and Whitney Hill with 14,418 (39.13%), with all 29 of 29 precincts reporting. For District B, Megan Patton had 29,276 (98.54%) with write-ins at 435 (1.46%), with all 20 of 20 precincts reporting and no other named candidate on the ballot.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial Wake County results file, accessed Nov. 4, 2026
  • For District C, Corey Branch had 23,362 votes (71.80%) and Jared S. Ollison 9,040 (27.78%), with all 20 of 20 precincts reporting. For District D, Jane Harrison had 22,079 (81.23%) and Jevon Smith-Cook 4,939 (18.17%), with all 18 of 18 precincts reporting. For District E, Christina Jones had 27,461 (70.03%) and Marc Scruggs 11,633 (29.66%), with all 22 of 22 precincts reporting.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial Wake County results file, accessed Nov. 4, 2026
  • WRAL independently reported that Cowell defeated Armstrong, that Forte won re-election to an at-large seat, that Siddiqui finished second for the other at-large seat, that Silver held District A, that Patton ran unopposed in District B, that Branch defeated Ollison in District C, that Harrison held District D, and that Jones held District E.Confirmed by WRAL, Nov. 4, 2026
  • Raleigh municipal elections are officially nonpartisan. Cowell was first elected mayor in 2024 and was seeking a four-year term under the city's staggered-term rules, The News & Observer wrote.Confirmed by The News & Observer; City of Raleigh background as reported by CBS 17

Still unknown

  • Final certified totals after provisional ballots and the county canvass
  • How many write-in votes named any single person
  • Official city confirmation of which council seats carry four-year versus two-year terms in this cycle

What this means for you

Instructions from North Carolina State Board of Elections; Wake County Board of Elections

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

What happened

In Raleigh, the Associated Press called the mayor's race Tuesday night for incumbent Janet Cowell, The News & Observer reported, and unofficial State Board tallies with every Raleigh mayor precinct counted kept her well ahead of Ashleigh Heath Armstrong.

CBS 17 independently wrote that Cowell successfully defended the office against Armstrong.

Unofficial results from the North Carolina State Board of Elections, after every Raleigh mayor precinct reported, listed Cowell with 141,393 votes (81.68%), Armstrong with 29,667 (17.14%), and write-ins at 2,049 (1.18%). Those figures are not certified. The county canvass comes later.

City Council

The same unofficial Wake County file listed the City of Raleigh City Council at-large race, a vote-for-two contest, with every city precinct counted: Ms. Stormie Denise Forte with 111,618 votes (37.31%), Sana Siddiqui with 97,302 (32.52%), Clark Rinehart with 44,860 (15.00%), Joshua Bradley with 43,098 (14.41%), and write-ins at 2,287 (0.76%).

District tallies in that file showed Mitchell Silver ahead of Whitney Hill in District A, 22,287 to 14,418; Megan Patton with 29,276 votes in the District B seat against write-ins only; Corey Branch ahead of Jared S. Ollison in District C, 23,362 to 9,040; Jane Harrison ahead of Jevon Smith-Cook in District D, 22,079 to 4,939; and Christina Jones ahead of Marc Scruggs in District E, 27,461 to 11,633. Each of those district contests had every listed precinct reporting.

WRAL independently reported the same council leaders, writing that Forte won re-election at-large, that Siddiqui finished second for the other at-large seat, that Patton ran unopposed in District B, and that Silver, Branch, Harrison and Jones held their district seats.

Raleigh's mayor and council races are officially nonpartisan. Cowell was first elected in 2024 and was running for a four-year term under the city's staggered-term rules, according to that newspaper. This file does not state four-year versus two-year lengths for the council seats without an official city confirmation for this cycle.

This site is not an elections office. For the live unofficial tables, use the State Board's results page. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Related coverage

Why it matters

Raleigh's mayor and City Council set city priorities for the next term. Readers need the Associated Press mayor call, the unofficial all-precinct tallies, and the council leaders before certification.

Updates

  1. Nov 4, 2026, 10:05 AM

    Unofficial NCSBE Wake file with all 109 Raleigh mayor precincts shows Cowell 141,393 (81.68%), Armstrong 29,667 (17.14%), write-ins 2,049 (1.18%). Same file lists Forte and Siddiqui ahead at-large and Silver, Patton, Branch, Harrison and Jones ahead in Districts A–E. WRAL independently reported the same council leaders. Not certified.

  2. Nov 3, 2026, 10:00 PM

    First file. AP call via The News & Observer; CBS 17 reported Cowell held the seat; unofficial NCSBE Wake file showed Cowell ahead with 53 of 109 mayor precincts reporting.

Sources

  1. Wake County unofficial results file (NCSBE enr/20261103/data/results_92.txt: CITY OF RALEIGH MAYOR; Janet Cowell 141,393 / 81.68%; Ashleigh Heath Armstrong 29,667 / 17.14%; Write-In 2,049 / 1.18%; 109 of 109 precincts. CITY COUNCIL AT-LARGE Forte 111,618 / Siddiqui 97,302 / Rinehart 44,860 / Bradley 43,098; DISTRICT A Silver 22,287–Hill 14,418; DISTRICT B Patton 29,276; DISTRICT C Branch 23,362–Ollison 9,040; DISTRICT D Harrison 22,079–Smith-Cook 4,939; DISTRICT E Jones 27,461–Scruggs 11,633; precincts as listed)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 10:05 AM

  2. Wake County unofficial election results page (Nov. 3, 2026 general election)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 10:05 AM

  3. Mayor, sheriffs, county commission and more: Triangle's local election results (WRAL / Elizabeth Holmes and Tom Santaniello, updated Nov. 4, 2026: Cowell over Armstrong; Forte re-elected at-large; Siddiqui second at-large; Silver, Patton, Branch, Harrison, Jones in districts. Text-only; no WRAL photos used. Do not flatten WRAL's Ashleigh Health Armstrong spelling onto the State Board Ashleigh Heath Armstrong line.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 10:05 AM

  4. AP says Cowell wins 2nd term as Raleigh mayor. Find out other city election results (The News & Observer / Nolan Wilkinson, Nov. 3, 2026, 9:05 p.m.: Associated Press called the race for Mayor Janet Cowell; Armstrong the ballot challenger; council context. Text-only; no N&O photos used.)

    Published by The News & Observer · Checked Nov 3, 2026, 9:55 PM

  5. Janet Cowell re-elected as Raleigh's mayor (CBS 17 / WNCN: Cowell successfully defended the office against Ashleigh Heath Armstrong; Cowell mayor since 2024 election. Read via the station's public WordPress JSON because the HTML page returned 403 here. Text-only; no CBS 17 photos used. Do not reuse the station's older vote-margin figure; this file follows the State Board tallies above.)

    Published by CBS 17 · Checked Nov 3, 2026, 9:55 PM

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