{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nLeShonda Wallace is a Democratic candidate seeking election to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners in 2026 [1]. She filed for the office during the 2026 election cycle [14]. In the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary, Wallace finished second among four candidates with 29.46% of the vote and advanced to the general election alongside incumbent Commissioner Rob Zapple (30.36%) [16]. Port City Daily described Wallace as \"a newcomer to the political field\" in its primary-night coverage [16]. In the November 3, 2026 general election, for two open seats, Wallace and Zapple face sitting board chair and Republican LeAnn Pierce, Republican challenger Richard Collier, and Libertarian Bob Drach [16].\n\nWallace has established a campaign infrastructure centered on her professional background as a healthcare provider and advocate [4]. She self-describes as a candidate whose decisions will focus on expanding healthcare access, protecting the environment, promoting economic opportunity, and strengthening the community [17]. Her platform emphasizes bringing experience in physical and mental health care to the county commission, an area she identifies as lacking in current representation [4].\n\nDuring the primary phase of the 2026 race, Wallace participated in candidate forums alongside other Democratic contenders [6]. She also engaged with local organizations, such as the Cape Fear Five Star Project, to discuss hospital care quality in the county [12]. Her campaign activities included fundraising through ActBlue and promoting her candidacy via social media platforms like Facebook [17][2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nLeShonda Wallace is a healthcare leader and advocate who holds a Doctor of Public Health degree [12]. She earned her undergraduate education at Rutgers University in 1996 and completed further studies at the University of Medicine and Dentistry NJ in 2004 [13]. Wallace is an Advanced Practice Nurse with approximately 30 years of experience in family medicine and public health [11][13].\n\nWallace is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated [3]. She serves as the Founder and Executive Director of SEEDS of Healing and has held leadership roles such as Chair of New Hanover County\u2019s Health and Human Services Board [3][4].\n\n## Career\n\nLeShonda Wallace is an Advanced Practice Nurse and Family Nurse Practitioner with thirty years of experience in healthcare [3][11]. She holds a Doctor of Public Health degree and is certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (FNP-BC) and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurses (FAAN) [3][10]. Wallace earned her education from Rutgers University, graduating in 1996, and from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 2004 [13].\n\nWallace serves as the Founder and Executive Director of SEEDS of Healing, a healthcare provider organization [3]. She also operates LeShonda Wallace, PLLC, which offers services including DOT physicals for commercial vehicle operators, youth physicals, STI screenings, and PrEP [11]. Additionally, she is affiliated with Novant Health as a Family Medicine clinician in Wilmington, North Carolina [8].\n\nDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, Wallace helped lead New Hanover County\u2019s response efforts [3]. She previously served as Chair of New Hanover County\u2019s Health and Human Services Board, an appointed civic role, not an elected office [4]. In her professional capacity, she has advocated for improvements in local hospital care and community health equity [12].\n\n## Office history\n\nLeShonda Wallace has not previously held elected office. WECT's October 2025 reporting on sitting officials eyeing the 2026 commissioner race identifies the current Wilmington City Council member in that field as Salette Andrews and the current New Hanover County Board of Education member as Judy Justice -- not Wallace [7][15]. Port City Daily's March 2026 primary coverage likewise describes Wallace as \"a newcomer to the political field\" [16]. Wallace's own prior public-service role was an appointed one: Chair of New Hanover County's Health and Human Services Board [4].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nLeShonda Wallace has not held elected office previously, having built her career as a healthcare provider, leader, and advocate [4]. She self-describes as bringing necessary experience and advocacy to the New Hanover County Commission, particularly in addressing gaps in physical and mental health care access [4]. As an Advanced Practice Nurse, she served as Chair of New Hanover County\u2019s Health and Human Services Board, an appointed rather than elected role [4]. Her professional background includes 30 years of experience in specialty care for adolescents, adults, women, and children, with expertise in health promotion and chronic disease management [11].\n\nWallace\u2019s policy priorities center on expanding healthcare access, protecting the environment, promoting economic opportunity, and strengthening community bonds [17]. She has advocated for improved hospital care quality in Wilmington, meeting with the Board of the Cape Fear Five Star Project to discuss these issues [12]. Her platform emphasizes that every resident deserves to live with dignity, security, and a strong quality of life [17]. During her campaign, she has participated in forums addressing various topics relevant to New Hanover County residents [6].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nLeShonda Wallace\u2019s professional background is rooted in healthcare rather than traditional business ownership or inherited wealth. She is a Family Nurse Practitioner with 30 years of experience [11]. Her career includes serving as an Advanced Practice Nurse who helped lead New Hanover County\u2019s COVID-19 response [3]. She currently practices at Novant Health and maintains a private practice, LeShonda Wallace, PLLC, which offers services such as DOT physicals and STI screenings [8][11].\n\nWallace is the Founder and Executive Director of SEEDS of Healing [3]. Her financial disclosures for the 2026 campaign primarily reflect her income from these healthcare roles. She utilizes ActBlue to manage campaign contributions, which are directed toward her bid for New Hanover County Commissioner [17]. There is no public record in the provided sources indicating significant business sales, family wealth sources, or ownership stakes in non-healthcare enterprises.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [LeShonda Wallace (New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, North Carolina, candidate 2026) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/LeShonda_Wallace_(New_Hanover_County_Board_of_Commissioners,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n[2] [LeShonda Wallace (D) Candidate for New Hanover ...](https://www.facebook.com/nhcvote/posts/leshonda-wallace-dcandidate-for-new-hanover-county-commissioner/1214877887491119/)\n[3] [Meet Dr. LeShonda Wallace, 2026 Finer Womanhood ...](https://www.facebook.com/portcityzetas/videos/meet-dr-leshonda-wallace-2026-finer-womanhood-award-recipient-a-healthcare-leade/1445143600470756/)\n[4] [HOME | Wallace4Community](https://www.wallace4community.com/)\n[5] [Primary 2026: New Hanover County Board of Commissioners primary candidate LeShonda Wallace | WHQR](https://www.whqr.org/2026-01-29/primary-2026-new-hanover-county-board-of-commissioners-primary-candidate-leshonda-wallace)\n[6] [Four Democrat candidates for NHC Commissioner address variety of topics during forum - WWAYTV3](https://www.wwaytv3.com/four-democrat-candidates-for-nhc-commissioner-address-variety-of-topics-during-forum/)\n[7] [Current city council and school board members plan to run for NHC county commissioner in 2026](https://www.wect.com/2025/10/11/current-city-council-school-board-members-plan-run-nhc-county-commissioner-2026/)\n[8] [LeShonda Wallace, FNP | Family Medicine | Novant Health](https://www.novanthealth.org/pf/providers/1851403257/leshonda-wallace)\n[9] [Four candidates vying for two open democratic seats to run for NHC commissioner](https://www.wect.com/2026/03/03/four-candidates-vying-two-open-democratic-seats-run-nhc-commissioner/)\n[10] [LeShonda Wallace, PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN - Faculty Collaboration Database](https://www.med.unc.edu/oor/faculty-database/faculty-databases/leshonda-wallace-ph-d-fnp-bc-faan/)\n[11] [LESHONDA WALLACE, PLLC offers DOT physicals for CMV operators, youth physicals, STI screenings, and PrEP.](https://www.leshondawallacepllc.com/)\n[12] [Petition update \u00b7 We continue to move forward](https://www.change.org/p/demand-improvement-in-wilmington-s-healthcare-we-deserve-better/u/34243274)\n[13] [healow - LeShonda Wallace, APRN - Nurse Practitioner - Family - Book an appointment online.](https://healow.com/apps/provider/leshonda-wallace-3605987)\n[14] [A look at who filed in the 2026 tri-county elections | Port City Daily](https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/2025/12/19/look-at-who-filed-in-2026-elections/)\n[15] [Two New Hanover Co. officials eye county commissioner seats in 2026](https://www.wect.com/2025/10/14/two-new-hanover-co-officials-eye-county-commissioner-seats-2026/)\n[16] [2026 Primary Results: New Hanover County | Port City Daily](https://portcitydaily.com/latest-news/2026/03/03/2026-primary-results-new-hanover-county/)\n[17] [LeShonda Wallace \u2014 Donate via ActBlue](https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dr--leshonda-wallace-1)\n[18] [Primary results set Nov. face off for NHCO commissioner and BOE seats - WWAYTV3](https://www.wwaytv3.com/primary-results-set-nov-face-off-for-nhco-commissioner-and-boe-seats/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"New Hanover County Board Of Commissioners"},{"contest":"county_commission","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"New Hanover County Board Of Commissioners"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Leshonda","fullname":"Leshonda Tequilla Wallace","lastname":"Wallace","middlename":"Tequilla","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"New Hanover County Board Of Commissioners","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"new_hanover","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"New Hanover County Board Of Commissioners","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"new_hanover","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"new_hanover","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"New Hanover County Board Of Commissioners","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"new_hanover","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"LeShonda Wallace is a Democratic candidate for New Hanover County Commissioner in North Carolina's 2026 election.","terms":[],"token":"a40dbe214d5ea2dd"}