Voting Starts Soon: What South Wake (NC) Residents Should Know About the March State House and Senate Primaries
Just two contested legislative primaries will appear on South Wake ballots this March, with most State House and Senate races already set for November.
Holly Springs, NC, Feb. 16, 2026 — Primary voting across North Carolina is underway, but for many South Wake voters, the legislative portion of the ballot will be quieter than in past cycles. Several State House and State Senate races locally are uncontested within parties, meaning nominees are already set. Still, some voters will see competitive primaries on their ballot, and all voters should understand how the process works.
This story focuses only on North Carolina General Assembly races, specifically the State House and State Senate primaries affecting South Wake. Other contests on the March ballot, including Wake County Commissioners, District Attorney, and additional local or judicial races, have been covered in separate Holly Springs Update stories.
Primary Election Day in North Carolina is Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026, with polls open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Any voter in line at closing time is allowed to vote.
Early in-person voting runs from February 12th through February 28th, and voters may cast a ballot at any early-voting site in their county. Absentee voting by mail is also available to any registered voter, as long as ballots are returned by Election Day.
Because polling locations and districts can change, the easiest way to confirm your registration, precinct, sample ballot, and voting options is through the State Board of Elections voter lookup tool at https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/
For South Wake residents, only a small number of legislative races will actually appear on the March primary ballot. Below is a district-by-district breakdown showing where primaries are occurring and which candidates are on the ballot.
State House primaries affecting South Wake
NC House District 37
Status: Democratic primary will be held
Democratic primary ballot candidates:
Ralph Clements
Winn Decker
Marcus Gadson
The winner advances to face Erin Paré (Republican, incumbent).
Candidate profiles
Ralph Clements
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Background:
Ralph Clements is a Wake County resident with more than 35 years of business leadership experience.
Platform:
His priorities include strengthening public education, expanding healthcare access, managing growth responsibly, improving affordability, and restoring trust in government.
Announcement of Candidacy:
Clements presents his campaign as focused on restoring effective governance and ensuring state policy better reflects community needs.
Website: https://www.ralphclements.com
Winn Decker
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Background:
Winn Decker is a policy professional with a Ph.D. in Public Administration from NC State and experience working on bipartisan education and workforce initiatives.
Platform:
His campaign focuses on affordability, public school funding, infrastructure investment, healthcare access, environmental sustainability, and fair election maps.
Announcement of Candidacy:
Decker positions himself as offering practical policy solutions to improve opportunities for Southern Wake families.
Website: https://www.winn4nc.com/
Marcus Gadson
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Background:
Marcus Gadson is a constitutional law professor at UNC and a former public school teacher with leadership roles in civil rights and education advocacy organizations.
Platform:
His campaign emphasizes lowering the cost of living, strengthening education, improving public safety, protecting democratic institutions, and supporting reproductive rights.
Announcement of Candidacy:
Gadson frames his campaign as focused on affordability and ensuring the government serves working families.
Website: https://gadsonfornc.com/
NC House District 36
Status: No primary will be held.
Julie von Haefen (Democrat, incumbent) and Mary Insprucker (Republican) advance directly to the November election.
NC House District 21
Status: No primary will be held.
Ya Liu (Democrat, incumbent) and Bryson Johnson (Republican) advance directly to the November election.
NC House District 11
Status: No primary will be held.
Allison Dahle (Democrat, incumbent) and Matthew Kordon (Libertarian) advance directly to the November election.
State Senate primaries affecting South Wake
NC Senate District 17
Status: The Republican primary will be held
Republican primary ballot:
Sarah Al-Baghdadi
Shirley Johnson
The winner advances to face Sydney Batch (Democrat, incumbent) and Patrick Bowersox (Libertarian).
Candidate profiles
Sarah Al-Baghdadi
Party Affiliation: Republican
No campaign website was identified at the time of publication. If one becomes available, it will be added here.
Shirley Johnson
Party Affiliation: Republican
Background:
Shirley Johnson is a former legislative staff member, elected official, and nonprofit leader focused on child advocacy and social services.
Platform:
Her campaign emphasizes parental rights, support for law enforcement, fiscal responsibility, economic growth, and protection of constitutional freedoms.
Announcement of Candidacy:
Johnson frames her campaign as rooted in faith-based leadership and public service.
Website: https://www.shirleyjohnson4nc.com
NC Senate District 13
Status: No primary will be held.
Lisa Grafstein (Democrat, incumbent) and Robert van Brederode (Republican) advance directly to the November election.
What this means for South Wake voters
Only two legislative contests locally will appear on the March primary ballot:
NC House District 37 (Democratic primary)
NC Senate District 17 (Republican primary)
All other legislative candidates advance automatically to the November election due to a lack of intra-party challengers.
Another election, Another list of people not worth voting for.
It amazes me that all these people running for State House and State Senate are campaigning on ethereal positions (affordability, faith-based, health care, parents rights) and notvone of them has a concrete Southern Wake or even North Carolina problem. One based in evidence and not feels, where we could show effective cost-benefit analysis and real leadership leading to something successful we can rally around.
Platigislation - Governance by bullshit statements and party platitudes