{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Clark Rinehart","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"Clark Neal Rinehart is a candidate for an at\u2011large seat on the Raleigh City Council in the 2026 general election on November 3, 2026. The race is nonpartisan; Rinehart advanced from the March 3 primary with 12.1% of the vote (13,451 votes) and will appear on the November ballot alongside incumbents Stormie\u202fForte, Joshua\u202fBradley and challenger Sana\u202fSiddiqui [1].\n\nRinehart was born in Miami, Florida; his mother grew up in Guatemala City and his father is from Stark County, Ohio. He earned an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering (University of Miami) and later completed two master\u2019s degrees \u2013 a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology \u2013 at Duke Divinity School after moving to the Triangle in 2009 to attend Duke [3][8]. He has lived in Raleigh since August\u202f2009.\n\nProfessionally, Rinehart has blended engineering, ministry, and entrepreneurship. After serving as a pastor at Edenton Street United Methodist Church and Grace Community Church, he entered the local startup ecosystem, joining The Loading Dock in 2017 and later working with Innovate\u202fRaleigh. He founded LOCAL Coworking, a consultancy that provides fractional management for coworking spaces, and currently serves as interim executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership while operating as a consultant through Coworking\u202fNC, LLC [3][7][11]. He also coaches youth sports in Raleigh parks and has participated in a city\u2011appointed working group on the redevelopment of the former Division of Motor Vehicles site on New\u202fBern Avenue [11].\n\nRinehart\u2019s campaign platform emphasizes five key priorities: expanding the supply of affordable housing, strengthening public safety, investing in robust, multimodal infrastructure, fostering an entrepreneurship culture that supports small\u2011 and medium\u2011sized businesses, and pursuing a \u201cnext\u2011generation\u201d approach that makes Raleigh affordable, green, and vibrant for future residents [1][3][10]. He advocates for living\u2011wage policies for city employees, limits on campaign contributions, and anti\u2011displacement measures to protect long\u2011time residents, especially in historically Black and brown neighborhoods [10][8].\n\nRinehart is married to Laura and they have two children, ages seven and nine. He describes himself as a \u201csocial entrepreneur\u201d and \u201curbanism nerd\u201d who wants to translate his experience in community engagement, economic development, and faith\u2011based service into public\u2011service outcomes for all Raleighites [3][8].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Clark Rinehart - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Clark_Rinehart)\n- [3] [Clark Rinehart](https://www.clarkforraleigh.com/)\n- [7] [Raleigh City Council: Clark Rinehart | 2026 Primary Candidates](https://indyweek.com/news/raleigh-city-council-clark-rinehart-2026/)\n- [8] [Clark Rinehart announces run for Raleigh's at-large city council seat - Axios Raleigh](https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/11/24/raleigh-entrepreneur-clark-rinehart-launches-bid-for-city-council-seat)\n- [10] [Clark Rinehart (2026) \u2013 Progressive Democrats of Wake County](https://wakeprogressives.org/clark-rinehart-2026/)\n- [11] [Raleigh Entrepreneur Clark Rinehart Enters Race for At Large Seat | Prism News](https://www.prismnews.com/news/raleigh-entrepreneur-clark-rinehart-enters-race-for-at-large-seat)","firstname":"Clark","lastname":"Rinehart","middlename":"Neal","suffix":null,"token":"54dde72b7293157e"},"token":"C6LLsAk2DWRdImhg"},{"candidatename":"Ms. Stormie Denise Forte","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"Stormie Denise Forte is an at\u2011large member of the Raleigh City Council and is seeking re\u2011election for a second at\u2011large term in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. She currently serves as Mayor Pro\u202fTem and as Vice\u2011Chair of the Housing and Environment Committee while also sitting on the Economic Development and Innovation Committee\u202f[2][4].\n\nForte was born and raised in Raleigh and graduated from Needham\u202fB.\u202fBroughton High School in 1989\u202f[5]. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by a Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law\u202f[1][2][5]. She is a licensed attorney in North Carolina and in the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of the federal court, and also holds a North Carolina real\u2011estate license\u202f[1][2][11].\n\nBefore entering elected office, Forte worked in both the public and private sectors. She served as an Assistant Attorney General and later as the Ombudsman for the State Crime Lab at the North Carolina Department of Justice, where she also acted as the department\u2019s Ethics Liaison\u202f[11]. She has held senior roles at the Departments of Corrections and Health and Human Services, and worked as a vocational rehabilitation case manager and family preservation specialist\u202f[11]. In the private arena, she founded Obsidian Consulting Services, LLC, a business\u2011development firm, and is a partner in Cardinal Consulting Company and Cardinal\u202fBlue Consulting, which provide campaign and advocacy services\u202f[11][12].\n\nForte entered Raleigh politics when she was appointed to represent District\u202fD on the City Council on July\u202f14,\u202f2020, becoming the first Black woman and the first openly LGBTQ woman to serve on the council\u202f[5][1]. She was subsequently elected at\u2011large in 2022, assuming office on December\u202f5,\u202f2022, with her term set to expire in 2026\u202f[1]. During her tenure she has focused on affordable housing, homelessness, infrastructure, and public safety, citing the growing unsheltered population, aging infrastructure, and staffing needs for police and fire departments as top priorities for her next term\u202f[7][9]. She supports a new affordable\u2011housing bond of roughly $100\u202fmillion and advocates for expanded public\u2011transport options and flood\u2011resilience investments\u202f[7][9].\n\nIn addition to her council work, Forte hosts a weekly radio program, \u201cThe Art of Listening with Stormie Forte,\u201d on 92.1\u202fChoice\u202fFM, and is active in numerous community organizations, including the Clarence Lightner Y\u202fAchievers advisory board, the Preparing to Soar program, the North Carolina Commission for Racial and Ethnic Disparities, and the Friends of the NC State Science Museum board\u202f[2][11]. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and volunteers at events such as the Rex Hospital Open, Hopscotch Music Festival, and the Oak City Marathon\u202f[2][5].\n\nForte\u2019s campaign is run under the website Stormie4Raleigh.com, where she outlines her priorities of addressing homelessness, expanding transportation, and supporting small\u2011business owners, emphasizing a balanced approach that leverages her legal, mediation, and business\u2011development experience\u202f[9][12].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Stormie Forte - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Stormie_Forte)\n- [2] [Stormie D. Forte | Raleighnc.gov](https://raleighnc.gov/mpt-forte)\n- [4] [Stormie D. Forte | Raleighnc.gov](https://raleighnc.gov/city-council/stormie-d-forte)\n- [5] [Stormie Forte - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormie_Forte)\n- [7] [Raleigh City Council: Stormie Forte | 2026 Primary Candidates](https://indyweek.com/news/raleigh-city-council-stormie-forte-2026/)\n- [9] [Candidate Info - Stormie Forte - Wake County Democratic Party](https://www.wakedems.org/election-central-2024/candidate-info-stormie-forte/)\n- [11] [About Stormie - Stormie Forte for Raleigh City Council At-Large](https://stormie4raleigh.com/about-stormie/)\n- [12] [Home - Stormie Forte for Raleigh City Council At-Large](https://stormie4raleigh.com/)","firstname":"Stormie","lastname":"Forte","middlename":"Denise","suffix":null,"token":"6071d3e5a1e4f8ab"},"token":"UmeD7O8MsYQKgblV"},{"candidatename":"Joshua Bradley","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Joshua Damon Bradley is a registered voter in Wake County, North Carolina, registered since 1996 (30 years), with party affiliation listed as Green [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Joshua Damon Bradley's year of birth as 1974; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 14 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Joshua Damon Bradley can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Joshua","lastname":"Bradley","middlename":"Damon","suffix":null,"token":"afd9bf299cc8ded0"},"token":"IENY8suNd9nyY_p7"},{"candidatename":"Sana Siddiqui","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Sana Fazal Siddiqui is a registered voter in Wake County, North Carolina, registered since 2008 (18 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Sana Fazal Siddiqui's year of birth as 1983; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 6 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Sana Fazal Siddiqui can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Sana","lastname":"Siddiqui","middlename":"Fazal","suffix":null,"token":"ea8a1b6e15dd7bf4"},"token":"Czv5qt106jIxFjRH"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"city_council","o.office":"city_council","office":"city_council","officedescription":"A city council member (alderman in some towns) serves on the municipality's legislative body, approving the city budget, setting the tax rate, and passing ordinances and resolutions. Members represent a district or the city at large.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on city matters \u2014 ordinances, services, and land use.\n- Budget literacy: the council approves the city budget and sets the city property-tax rate.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on ordinances and resolutions; committee work.\n- Constituent relations within the district or city.\n- Familiarity with the city charter and municipal issues such as utilities, transit, development, and blight.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"City Council Member","partisan":0,"pgr":"general","quantity":2,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"City Of Raleigh City Council At-Large"}