2021 Durham mayoral election

The 2021 Durham, North Carolina mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the next mayor of Durham, North Carolina.

Durham mayoral election, 2021

← 2019 November 2, 2021 2023 →

Candidate Elaine O'Neal Javiera Caballero Popular vote 25,936 4,463 Percentage 84.6% 14.6%

Mayor before election Steve Schewel Elected mayor Elaine O'Neal

Mayor Steve Schewel was elected with 59.5% of the vote in 2017,^[1] and was reelected with 83.4% in 2019.^[2] On May 27, 2021, he announced that he would not seek a third term.^[3] Seven candidates filed to run in this election to succeed Schewel as mayor.^[4]

Schewel endorsed city council member Javiera Caballero to be his successor. Durham's longest-serving mayor, Bill Bell, endorsed former superior court judge Elaine O'Neal. Caballero and O'Neal were considered the two frontrunners in the election.^[5]

A nonpartisan blanket primary was held on October 5, 2021. The top two candidates from the primary, Elaine O'Neal and Javiera Caballero, advanced to the general election ballot.^[6] O'Neal garnered 84.6% of the vote in the general election, thus becoming mayor.

Candidates

Declared

• Rebecca Barnes^[7]
• Javiera Caballero, member of the Durham City Council since 2018^[4][7][8]
• Bree Davis, research coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill^[4][7]
• Jahnmaud Lane^[7]
• Elaine O'Neal, former superior court judge and former interim dean at the North Carolina Central University School of Law^[7][9][10]
• Daryl Quick^[7]

Withdrew

• Charlitta Burruss, advocate and candidate for city council in 2019 (remained on ballot)^[7][11]

Declined

• Steve Schewel, mayor since 2017^[3]

Endorsements

Javiera Caballero

Local officials

• Jillian Johnson, mayor pro tempore of Durham (2017-2021)^[7]
• Steve Schewel, mayor of Durham (2017-2021)^[12]

Elaine O'Neal

Local officials

• Bill Bell, mayor of Durham (2001-2017)^[13]

Newspapers

• Indy Week^[14]

Results

2021 Durham mayoral election results^[15][16]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Elaine O'Neal	13,781	67.8
	Nonpartisan	Javiera Caballero	5,023	24.7
	Nonpartisan	Jahnmaud Lane	598	2.9
	Nonpartisan	Rebecca Barnes	352	1.7
	Nonpartisan	Bree Davis	231	1.1
	Nonpartisan	Daryl Quick	216	1.1
	Nonpartisan	Charlitta Burruss (withdrawn)	113	0.6
Total votes			20,314	100%[a]
General election
	Nonpartisan	Elaine O'Neal	25,936	84.6
	Nonpartisan	Javiera Caballero	4,463	14.6
	Nonpartisan	Steve Schewel (write-in)	8	0.0
	Write-in		235[b]	0.8
Total votes			30,642	100%

Notes

1. The percentage of votes above don't add up to 100% due to rounding.
2. Excluding Steve Schewel.

References

1. Vaughan, Dawn; Eanes, Zachery; Johnson, Joe. "Steve Schewel to be Durham's next mayor". Durham Herald-Sun. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
2. Griffin, Matthew; Morrion, Maria; Olivia, Wivestad (November 5, 2019). "Durham election results: Mayor, city council, housing bond all decided". The Chronicle. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
3. Innis, Charlie (May 27, 2021). "Durham Mayor Schewel will not seek re-election in 'rough and tumble political town'". The News & Observer. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
4. "Durham election filing ends with 7-way race for mayor, contested council races". The News & Observer. August 13, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
5. Blackwell, Penelope (September 3, 2021). "Is one of these women the next mayor of Durham?". The News & Observer. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
6. WRAL.com
7. Bey, Nadia (July 25, 2021). "Here are the names you'll see on the ballots for the 2021 Durham municipal elections". The Chronicle. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
8. "Javiera Caballero | Durham, NC". durhamnc.gov. City of Durham. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
9. Innis, Charlie (January 25, 2021). "Elaine O'Neal, retired judge and racial equity leader, will run for mayor of Durham". The News & Observer. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
10. "Elaine O'Neal to run for mayor of Durham". WRAL.com. January 26, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
11. "Councilwoman drops out of race for Durham mayor, leaving former judge in top spot". October 5, 2021.
12. Porter, Jane (August 30, 2021). "Durham Mayor Schewel Endorses Council Member Javiera Caballero as His Successor". INDY Week. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
13. Porter, Jane (August 31, 2021). "Durham's Longest Serving Mayor Bill Bell Endorses Judge Elaine O'Neal". INDY Week. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
14. Porter, Jane (October 8, 2021). "Endorsements 2021: Durham Mayor and City Council Primary". INDY Week. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
15. "10/05/2021 OFFICIAL LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE | CITY OF DURHAM MAYOR (VOTE FOR 1)". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
16. "11/02/2021 OFFICIAL LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE | CITY OF DURHAM MAYOR (VOTE FOR 1)". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.

External links

• Bree Davis campaign website Archived 2021-09-08 at the Wayback Machine
• Jahnmaud Lane campaign website Archived 2021-09-08 at the Wayback Machine
• Elaine O'Neal campaign website