North Carolina › New Hanover County › New Hanover County Board of Commissioners
5 candidates are tracked for New Hanover County Board of Commissioners on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Bob Drach, Richard M. Collier, Rob Zapple, LeShonda Wallace and LeAnn Pierce. Candidate information follows official New Hanover County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Five candidates for two seats on the November 3, 2026 ballot, certified by the New Hanover County Board of Elections and confirmed on the county's official sample ballot. Rob Zapple (Democratic) and LeAnn Pierce (Republican, chair) are the two incumbents seeking re-election, per the county's Board of Commissioners page.
Bob Drach is a business executive and financial professional who served as CEO of HMF Express from 2004 to 2020, per his campaign site. He holds a B.S. from William & Mary and an MBA from Stanford University, and has chaired the North Carolina Libertarian Party and run for state auditor in 2024, per Port City Daily. He previously served on the county's Board of Equalization and Review, per his campaign site.
2026 priorities (per the campaign site)
- Sound financial management for county government
- Balanced growth
- Support for schools and public health and safety
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →
Richard M. Collier serves on the Wilmington Planning Board and ran unsuccessfully for a Wilmington City Council seat in 2025, per Port City Daily. No campaign website was found for his 2026 county commissioner run. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Richard M. Collier.
Rob Zapple is the incumbent New Hanover County Commissioner seeking re-election, per the county's official commissioners page. He serves on the WHQR public radio Board of Directors, per Port City Daily. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Rob Zapple.
LeShonda Wallace is a physician and the founder of Seeds of Healing, per Port City Daily. No campaign website was found for her county commissioner run. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for LeShonda Wallace.
LeAnn Pierce is the incumbent New Hanover County Commissioner and current Board Chair seeking re-election, per the county's official commissioners page. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for LeAnn Pierce.
