Wake County voters Tuesday picked Willie Rowe as the Democratic candidate for sheriff. He will face former Sheriff Donnie Harrison in November.

Rowe, who retired from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office after 28 years, beat the incumbent, Sheriff Gerald Baker, for the nomination.

Rowe won by a wide margin with 75% of the vote.  

Get full election results here

The Democratic nomination for the sheriff’s race went to a runoff after the May primary.

Rowe won the first Democratic primary with more than 29% of the vote, edging out Baker, who had about 24%. But Rowe needed at least 30% to avoid a runoff.

The primary runoff was open to Democratic and unaffiliated voters.

The sheriff is in charge of law enforcement in unincorporated parts of the county, running the jails, serving legal papers and other duties.

Rowe will face Harrison in the General Election. Harrison served as Wake County Sheriff from 2002 to 2018, when he lost his reelection bid to Baker.

Harrison won the Republican primary with almost 80% of the vote.

Both Democratic candidates said staffing is one of the biggest challenges for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, as it is for many law enforcement agencies around North Carolina.

Rowe criticized Baker for a lack of transparency, which, he said, has led to more staffing problems and problems with trust in the community.

“By being transparent and available to staff, I will set the example of what’s expected of personnel when engaging with members of the public,” Rowe said on his campaign site.

Baker, in his campaign, pledged accountability and transparency.

“Being skilled in the performance of our duties and governed by the code of ethics that demands integrity by word or by act, publicly and privately, the allegiance to our oath of office and the laws that govern our nation,” Baker said on his site.