News & Observer Endorses Kushner, Lambert-Melton for Wake County At-Large Seats

The News & Observer editorial board recommends Christine Kushner and Jonathan Lambert‑Melton for the two new countywide at‑large seats on the Wake County Board of Commissioners, saying the pair “stand out for their deep experience in local office and their ideas about what the Board of Commissioners should do to address growth and respond to losses in federal funding.” The board is expanding from seven to nine members, with “Five of the seats are elected from districts. Two new at‑large seats will be elected countywide,” the editorial says.

The editorial notes none of the incumbents in the district seats drew opponents in the March 3 primary, leaving district races largely uncontested. The at‑large contests are contested differently: on the Republican side, Gary Dale Hartong and Kyle Stogoski are the only candidates and “both will automatically advance to the November general election.” On the Democratic side, seven candidates are running for the two countywide seats and the editorial says “the top two vote getters will face the Republicans on Nov. 3.”

Jonathan Lambert‑Melton is a three‑term at‑large member of the Raleigh City Council and a family law attorney who was first elected in 2019. IndyWeek profiles in the aggregated material say he “consistently advocated for bringing more housing and public transportation to Raleigh” and “was an early champion for what would become Raleigh CARES (Crisis Alternative Response for Empathy and Support), a set of alternatives to policing for people experiencing homelessness, mental health, or substance use‑related crises.” If elected to the county commission, Lambert‑Melton would be the only LGBTQ commissioner and one of the only commissioners with municipal government experience.

Christine Kushner is the other endorsement. The editorial highlights her experience and ideas for growth and federal funding shortfalls; Kushner herself tied her return to public service to federal funding cuts, saying the policies of the Trump administration and its cuts in federal funding spurred her to return to public service “to meet the demands not only of this job, but of this moment.”

Among other Democratic hopefuls named in coverage, Robert Mitchener Jr., 55, is a Raleigh native who spent 30 years with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and now serves with the State Capitol Police. Mitchener lists priorities including supporting public safety, expanding mental health services and increasing the supply of affordable housing; he told IndyWeek there “there’s not a street or highway that I have not been on, not a neighborhood that I have not been in.” Marguerite Creel has proposed a three‑part platform to take better care of seniors, secure reliable and sustainable energy and improve Wake County public schools by offering more electives and more online and summer classes, and she has said the county should spend less on noncitizens.

Local party activity is also underway: the Wake County Republican Party’s 2025 endorsed list names dozens of municipal candidates and invites Republicans to a county convention on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 pm at the Kerr Scott Building at the NC State Fairgrounds. The WakeGOP page lists contact phone 919‑890‑5374, email info@wakegop.org and office address 1401 Sunday Dr. Suite 105 Raleigh, NC 27607, with office hours Mon–Fri 9am–4pm.

Voters will see the at‑large nominees narrowed by the March 3 primary mechanics and resolved in the November general election; the editorial’s endorsements and candidates’ priorities signal how debates over growth, housing, transportation, federal funding and school funding will shape Wake County’s expanded board.