Every election shapes the kind of region we live in.
But primaries are where the direction is set.
As we wrote in Every Vote Builds a City, local races determine whether we expand housing choices and welcome new neighbors or retreat into scarcity and rising costs. That is why we are grading candidates on housing.
For this round, we focused on the most competitive, contested at large primary elections where the outcome will shape housing policy in the general election and beyond. Uncontested races and jurisdictions without competitive municipal primaries will be covered in our general election guide later this summer. Durham does not have competitive municipal primaries this cycle, so we are providing commentary on relevant statewide races that directly affect local housing policy.
We evaluated candidate questionnaires and public records for consistency, urgency, and clarity of support for expanding housing supply, affordability tools, and zoning reform. Housing is the defining issue of t…
