{"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","campaigns":[{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_district_c","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"City Of Raleigh City Council District C"},{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_district_c","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"City Of Raleigh City Council District C"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Corey","fullname":"Corey Demont Branch","lastname":"Branch","middlename":"Demont","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_district_c","contest_title":"City Of Raleigh City Council District C","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"wake","office_key":"city_council","office_title":"City Council Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_district_c","contest_title":"City Of Raleigh City Council District C","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"wake","office_key":"city_council","office_title":"City Council Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"wake","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"raleigh_city_council_district_c","contest_title":"City Of Raleigh City Council District C","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"wake","office_key":"city_council","office_title":"City Council Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"city_council","office_title":"City Council Member","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Corey Branch is a Raleigh City Councilman for District C and a candidate for Raleigh Mayor in the 2024 election.","terms":[],"token":"e4397ab6251987c3"}