Leo Williams will be the next mayor of Durham, according to unofficial election results from the State Board of Elections.
Williams, a restaurateur, has served on the Durham City Council since 2021. He defeated Sen. Mike Woodard, who has represented the Bull City in the North Carolina Senate since 2012.
Williams won more than 63% of the vote and Woodard about 36%.
Woodard said he called Williams to concede just before 10 p.m.
Woodard and Williams were the top two vote-winners in a crowded mayoral primary. Durham’s current mayor, Elaine O’Neal, did not run for a second term.
Durham voters also cast ballots for three at-large seats on city council. There were six candidates running in the General Election for the seat.
As of about 11 p.m.,, with more than 99% of the precincts counted, three candidates had won the seats by a solid margin:
- Nate Baker - 22.5%
- Javiera Caballero - 22%
- Carl Rist - 20.7%
- Khalilah Karim - 15.1%
- Monique Holsey-Hyman - 11%
- Shelia Ann Huggins - 8.2%