NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Primary Election Day is scheduled for March 3, 2026, and some New Hanover County races will be on the ballot. This includes both the Republican and Democratic candidates seeking seats on the board of education.
To find out where the candidates stand on the issues, the media consortium of WECT-TV, Port City Daily and WHQR Public Media have solicited responses in questionnaires below.
READ MORE: Primary Election 2026: NHC Board of Commissioners candidate questionnaires
Four seats are open on the school board, with six Democrats and five Republicans vying for them. The media group sent the same questionnaire to each primary election candidate on Friday, Jan. 16 and requested their responses by Monday, Jan. 26. The Q&A’s have only been edited for clarity and are published below.
But before reading, here are a few items to keep in mind ahead of the primary election:
- All registered Democratic candidates can only vote a Democratic ballot and all Republicans a Republican ballot. Unaffiliated voters can choose either a Republican or Democratic ballot to vote during the primary election.
- A valid ID is required to cast a ballot in North Carolina. If you do not have an ID you will have fill out a photo ID exemption form.
- Primary Election Day is March 3, 2026, with voters required to go to their assigned precinct locations.
- Early voting opens Feb. 12 and closes Feb. 28, and voters can register on the same day they cast a ballot at any of these four sites: Board of Elections Multipurpose Room (226 Government Center Dr.); Northeast Library David Poynter Room (1241 Military Cutoff Road); Carolina Beach Town Hall’s Police Training Room (1121 N. Lake Park Blvd.), Cape Fear Community College’s McLeod Building, (411 N. Front St.). See all hours of operation here
- Anyone who wants to see if they’re registered to vote can do so here
Also before the primary election, WECT, Port City Daily and WHQR will host a candidate forum for the school board candidates, Republicans and Democrats, on Thursday, Feb. 12, at WHQR Studio at 6 p.m. Audience questions will be considered and can be submitted here ahead of the event.
Click the names below to access the Q&As for all the candidates:
Democratic Candidates
Nelson Beaulieu
Wendy Dale
Margie Gewirtzman
Jerry Jones Jr.
Brittnei LaRue
Rick Southerland
Republican Candidates
Josie Barnhart
Pat Bradford
Amy Dunning
Melissa Mason
Chris Sutton
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