{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Diana Angie Powell","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nDiana Angie Powell was a candidate for Raleigh City Council District C in the city's first-ever council primary, held March 3, 2026. She was one of four candidates on the primary ballot and placed third with 2,355 votes, and did not advance to the November 3, 2026 general election, which will be contested by incumbent Corey Branch (7,106 votes) and fellow challenger Jared Ollison (2,460 votes), per certified NC State Board of Elections primary results [3].\n\n## Career\nPowell is a violence-prevention specialist at Raleigh Boots on the Ground, a nonprofit that takes a public-health approach to reducing gun violence, and founded Justice Served NC, a criminal-justice reentry support nonprofit. She is a Southeast Raleigh native and was a first-time candidate for public office [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Who's Running for Raleigh City Council in 2026? - Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/whos-running-raleigh-city-council/)\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections 2026 candidate filing list (`Candidate_Listing_2026.csv`, dl.ncsbe.gov)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 certified primary precinct-level results (`results_pct_20260303.txt`), Wake County, City of Raleigh City Council District C contest","firstname":"Diana","lastname":"Powell","middlename":"Angie","suffix":null,"token":"ec0cebb8102c6b43"},"token":"NMW7qmpv4DQSbiQc"},{"candidatename":"Corey Branch","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nCorey Demont Branch is a member of the Raleigh City Council representing District C, a position he has held since 2015. He advanced from a four-candidate March 3, 2026 nonpartisan primary -- Raleigh's first-ever city council primary -- placing first with 7,106 votes, to the November 3, 2026 general election, where he faces fellow primary advancer Jared Ollison (2,460 votes); primary candidates Diana Powell (2,355 votes) and Tolulope Omokaiye (1,238 votes) did not advance, per certified NC State Board of Elections primary results [5].\n\n## Background and education\nBranch earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.\n\n## Career\nBranch worked for many years in telecommunications, most recently as a senior technical director with AT&T. He currently works by day as a manager for an IT infrastructure firm [4]. On the Raleigh City Council, he has served as Mayor Pro Tem from December 2017 to January 2021 and again in 2023. He chairs the Community Safety and Quality of Life Committee and serves on the Transportation and Transit Committee. He has been instrumental in advancing the BRT (bus rapid transit) corridor along New Bern Avenue in Southeast Raleigh, and has helped get more affordable-housing development approved in his district than any other council member [4].\n\nBranch is active in Southeast Raleigh community affairs, focusing on economic development, housing affordability, and transportation access. He briefly ran for Raleigh mayor before withdrawing, citing residents who wanted him to continue representing the district [3].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Corey Branch - Raleigh City Council](https://raleighnc.gov/city-council/corey-branch)\n- [2] [Candidate Questionnaire: Corey Branch, Raleigh City Council, District C - Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/elections-news/candidate-questionnaire-corey-branch-raleigh-city-council-distirct-c/)\n- [3] [In Southeast Raleigh, Corey Branch defends his council seat - Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/in-southeast-raleigh-corey-branch-defends-his-council-seat/)\n- [4] [Who's Running for Raleigh City Council in 2026? - Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/whos-running-raleigh-city-council/)\n- [5] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 certified primary precinct-level results (`results_pct_20260303.txt`), Wake County, City of Raleigh City Council District C contest","firstname":"Corey","lastname":"Branch","middlename":"Demont","suffix":null,"token":"e4397ab6251987c3"},"token":"rsCkZi7rBKC3gky3"},{"candidatename":"Tolulope O. Omokaiye","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nTolulope Olayinka Omokaiye is a candidate for Raleigh City Council District C, running as a nonpartisan candidate in 2026. This is her first run for elected office.\n\nHer key campaign issues include expanding and improving public transit, implementing affordable and mixed-income housing across Raleigh, and investing in youth development and mentorship programs.\n\n## Background and education\nOmokaiye grew up experiencing poverty and homelessness, experiences that shaped her commitment to community investment. She earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from North Carolina Central University and a master's degree in business administration from Meredith College.\n\n## Career\nOmokaiye is the Founder and CEO of EVOLVE Mentoring, Inc., a nonprofit she founded more than 13 years ago that provides mentoring programs for Black and Brown youth with citywide, statewide, and regional reach. She served for eight years on the Raleigh Transit Authority, becoming the first woman and/or person of color to chair that body.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Candidate Info \u2013 Tolulope Omokaiye \u2013 Wake County Democratic Party](https://www.wakedems.org/election-central-2024/candidate-info-tolulope-omokaiye/)\n","firstname":"Tolulope","lastname":"Omokaiye","middlename":"Olayinka","suffix":null,"token":"d27c58493b723159"},"token":"S1K5-274HZ1x3yzn"},{"candidatename":"Jared S. Ollison","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJared Scott Ollison is a candidate for Raleigh City Council District C. He advanced from a four-candidate March 3, 2026 nonpartisan primary -- Raleigh's first-ever city council primary -- placing second with 2,460 votes, to the November 3, 2026 general election, where he faces incumbent Corey Branch (7,106 votes); primary candidates Diana Powell (2,355 votes) and Tolulope Omokaiye (1,238 votes) did not advance, per certified NC State Board of Elections primary results [5].\n\n## Background and education\nOllison is a Southeast Raleigh native [1]. According to the North Carolina voter file, he is a registered Democrat in Wake County, registered since 1999 [3].\n\n## Career\nOllison is a North Carolina State Capitol police officer and previously served as director of the Wake County Detention Center [1]. He first ran for the District C seat in 2024, losing to incumbent Corey Branch in a six-candidate field [1][4]. During that campaign, he told Indy Week that his law-enforcement background had shown him Raleigh's need for better mental-health services and new tools to address homelessness and displacement [1][4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Who's Running for Raleigh City Council in 2026? - Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/whos-running-raleigh-city-council/)\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections 2026 candidate filing list (`Candidate_Listing_2026.csv`, dl.ncsbe.gov)\n[3] [North Carolina State Board of Elections -- Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[4] [In Southeast Raleigh, Corey Branch defends his council seat - Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/in-southeast-raleigh-corey-branch-defends-his-council-seat/)\n[5] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 certified primary precinct-level results (`results_pct_20260303.txt`), Wake County, City of Raleigh City Council District C contest","firstname":"Jared","lastname":"Ollison","middlename":"Scott","suffix":null,"token":"c8eba9e17a7c42d8"},"token":"lVD9BzNJ9FV0xwSu"}],"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":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"City Of Raleigh City Council District C"}