Former deputy Willie Rowe defeats Baker in Democratic runoff for Wake sheriff
Former deputy Willie Rowe won the Democratic nomination in the Wake County sheriff’s race Tuesday, after handily defeating one-term incumbent Gerald Baker in a runoff.
The win sets up a November race between Rowe and former four-term Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison. Harrison finished first in the Republican primary in May with 80% of the vote in the three-person race.
Rowe, who served in the Wake sheriff’s office for 28 years, also finished ahead of Baker in the May 17 Democratic primary with seven candidates.
“I’m very excited and grateful for the victory,” Rowe said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon with The News & Observer. “I look forward to meeting more people and spreading the message on the campaign trail of how we want to make Wake County safer by reducing crime and enhancing public safety.”
Baker told The N&O Wednesday afternoon that he did not have any comment about the election results.
Harrison was first elected Wake sheriff in 2002. Rowe and Harrison also faced off in the 2014 general election, with Harrison winning.
Rowe said he will continue to strengthen efforts to unify voters ahead of the November election and growing his campaign team. He said he plans to win the election.
“We just want to touch everybody that we can and make sure that they know we are here to serve the common good of all and to elicit their input so that they feel included and valued,” he said. “I’m going to stay active talking to voters and listening to ensure that we meet their expectations.
Low voter turnout
Voters in the Democratic Party and unaffiliated voters were eligible to vote in the sheriff runoff.
With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Rowe led Baker with 75% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Rowe, who is chair of Wake County ABC Board, got just under 30% of the vote to Baker’s 24% in the primary on May 17.
In North Carolina, if candidates don’t win more than 30% of the votes in a partisan election, the runner-up can request a runoff. Baker did.
As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, voter turnout at the polls was under 2%, or about 13,000, wrote Stacy Beard, a Wake spokesperson, in an email. When the rain hit in the afternoon, voting slowed.
By the end of the day, voter turnout reached 5.9%, or 37,812 votes cast, according to the N.C. Board of Elections website.
About 641,242 of Wake County’s 803,157 registered voters were eligible to vote in the sheriff’s Democratic runoff or Town of Cary runoff.
2018 election
Baker ousted Harrison in 2018. He ran largely on his opposition to partnering in the 287(g) program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency responsible for deportations and other immigration law enforcement.
Baker’s tenure has faced some criticism due to staff shortages, and concerns about management, along with multiple lawsuits and complaints filed by ex-employees alleging discrimination and retaliation.
Before the primary, candidates focused on issues like enforcing the law, Baker’s treatment of employees and the Sheriff’s Office’s handling of local protests after George Floyd was killed by a Minnesota police officer.
Rowe said the issues remained the same in the runoff, with people still concerned about an increase in gun violence and violent crime, accountability in the Sheriff’s Office, staffing shortages and low morale.
“This is what people are telling me is important,” Rowe, 62, told The News & Observer on Tuesday afternoon.
The Wake County sheriff makes $193,649 annually. The Sheriff’s Office has a nearly $102 million budget with more than 900 employees. Among other duties, it runs Wake’s detention facilities and the pistol permit process, serves warrants, polices certain areas within the county, and protects the Wake County Justice Center and courthouse.
This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 8:04 PM with the headline "Former deputy Willie Rowe defeats Baker in Democratic runoff for Wake sheriff."
