New Hanover County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Bob Drach is a business executive and financial professional who served as CEO of HMF Express from 2004 to 2020, per his campaign site. He holds a B.S. from William & Mary and an MBA from Stanford University, and has chaired the North Carolina Libertarian Party and run for state auditor in 2024, per Port City Daily. He previously served on the county's Board of Equalization and Review, per his campaign site.

Rob Zapple is the sitting New Hanover County commissioner seeking re-election, per the county Board of Commissioners' roster and his campaign site. As commissioner, Zapple says he supported teacher pay increases, worked to increase funding for local nonprofits and doubled the number of pre-K classrooms, and helped fast-track development of Hanover Pines Nature Park, per the campaign site.

LeAnn Pierce is a member of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, elected in 2022 and chosen board chair in December 2025, per the campaign site. Pierce previously served as Mayor of Carolina Beach from 2019 to 2022 and on the Carolina Beach Town Council from 2013 to 2021, after owning and operating a 62 room hotel in Carolina Beach for 30 years, per the campaign site. Pierce holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from East Carolina University, per the campaign site.

Jan Giacalone Kennedy is the incumbent Clerk of Superior Court, first elected in 2010 after starting as a Deputy Clerk in 1993 and rising to Assistant Clerk in 2007, per her campaign site. She is a Wilmington native and UNCW graduate with 32 years at the office.

Amy Dunning is an elementary math teacher at a private school and a former Title I teacher, per Port City Daily. No campaign website was found for her school board run. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Amy Dunning.

Wendy Dale works as a contracts specialist, per Port City Daily. No campaign website was found for her school board run. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Wendy Dale.

Pat Bradford is the incumbent board member and chair of its Capital, Bond and Finance Committee, per Port City Daily and the district's official board page.

Josie Barnhart is an incumbent board member first elected in 2022, per Port City Daily and the district's official board page.

Chris Sutton is a maintenance technician who previously ran for the school board in 2022, per Port City Daily. No campaign website was found for his 2026 run. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Chris Sutton.

Brittnei LaRue is a financial professional who helps individuals and families make informed decisions about their finances, per her campaign site. She holds a bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages with a concentration in Spanish and is a political newcomer running as a parent in the district.

Jerry Jones, Jr. is a co-founder of The Roasted Bookery and an environmental chemist who has taught middle-school science, per Port City Daily. He previously ran for the school board in 2024. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Jerry Jones, Jr.

Margie Gewirtzman is a mother of three who says on the campaign site that 18 years have been spent as an advocate in medical, educational and community settings for programs that serve children with disabilities, per the campaign site. Gewirtzman is running for the New Hanover County Board of Education.

G. Frank Jones has spent 41 years in courtrooms, including 33 years as a trial attorney and, since 2018, as a Superior Court Judge who has presided over more than 95 jury trials across 20 counties, per the campaign site.

Kelly Colquette Hanley has more than 35 years of legal experience as a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, family law practitioner and commercial litigator, per her campaign site. She has served as Family Court and Trial Court Administrator for New Hanover and Pender counties and as President of the New Hanover County Bar Association.

Kurt B. Fryar is a Wilmington native with 24 years of legal practice in New Hanover and Pender counties, spanning civil, criminal, real estate and estate planning matters, per his campaign site. He is a UNCW and UNC Chapel Hill School of Law graduate.

James H. Faison III has served as a District Court Judge for New Hanover and Pender counties for more than 25 years, per his campaign site, after working as a staff attorney with Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear and as an Assistant District Attorney for the two counties. He has also served as a pastor since 1998.

Melinda H. Crouch has served as a District Court Judge for New Hanover and Pender counties since 2007, presiding primarily over Family Court, per her campaign site. Licensed since 1984, she practiced law in Wilmington for more than two decades before joining the bench.

Katherine Corpening is an Assistant Public Defender in New Hanover County with more than a decade of experience representing indigent clients, per her campaign site. She helped establish Community Empowerment Court, a treatment-focused alternative to incarceration, and is a Wilmington native and Wake Forest and Campbell Law graduate.

Cate Calson is a communications professional with more than 25 years of experience in design, marketing and community engagement, per Encore. She holds a B.A. in Communication Design from California State University, Chico, and volunteers with Cape Fear River Watch and the Sierra Club.

Kelly McConnell is a retired pediatrician who returned to Wilmington in 2018, per her campaign site. She chairs the Cape Fear group of the North Carolina Sierra Club and serves on the Cape Fear River Watch advocacy board.