Wake County sheriff seeks his 2nd term, Durham County sheriff plans to run for a 3rd

The Durham County sheriff is seeking his third term in office, and the Wake County sheriff is seeking his second term. 

2025-12-04

According to a press release from the Durham County sheriff's office, Clarence F. Birkhead qualified to run in the upcoming 2026 election after filing paperwork at the Durham County Board of Elections Office earlier this week. 

Wake County sheriff Willie Rowe announced Tuesday on Facebook that he filed for re-election at the Wake County Board of Elections. This will be Rowe's second go-around for sheriff since his first election in 2022. 

Rowe has been with the Wake County Sheriff's Office for almost 40 years, starting out as a deputy in 1985. He retired from the office in 2013, but stayed in Wake County in different positions before winning the sheriff election in Nov. 2022. 

Birkhead was sworn in as the first African-American sheriff in Durham County back in 2018. He was re-elected to a second term in 2022. 

“It is during these challenging times that consistent leadership is so important, and that’s why I have made the decision to seek a third term,” Birkhead stated in the press release.