2025 Fayetteville, North Carolina mayoral election
November 4, 2025
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Elections in North Carolina |
|---|
The 2025 Fayetteville mayoral election was held on November 4, 2025, to elect the mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina. The nonpartisan blanket primary was held on October 7, with incumbent mayor Mitch Colvin advancing to the general election alongside city councilmember Kathy Jensen. Colvin went on to win the general election.[1]
Primary election
Candidates
Advanced to general
- Mitch Colvin, incumbent mayor (2017–present)[2]
- Kathy Jensen, city councilmember (2013–present)[2]
Eliminated in primary
- Mario Benavente, city councilmember (2022–present)[2]
- Tisha Waddell, strategic consultant and former city councilmember (2017–2021)[2]
- Freddie de la Cruz, businessman (running in the general as a write-in candidate)[2]
- Paul Williams, former city councilmember (1997–1999)[2]
- Courtney Banks-McLaughlin, city councilmember (2019–present)[2]
- Clifton Johnson, retired army major[2]
- John Ashford, write-in candidate for mayor in 2022[2]
- Nahlee Smith, former social worker[2]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitch Colvin (incumbent) | 6,754 | 47.61% | |
| Kathy Jensen | 2,569 | 18.11% | |
| Mario Benavente | 1,359 | 9.58% | |
| Tisha Waddell | 996 | 7.02% | |
| Freddie de la Cruz | 945 | 6.66% | |
| Paul Williams | 737 | 5.20% | |
| Courtney Banks-McLaughlin | 706 | 4.98% | |
| Clifton Johnson | 63 | 0.44% | |
| John Ashford | 36 | 0.25% | |
| Nahlee Smith | 21 | 0.15% | |
| Total votes | 14,186 | 100.00% | |
General election
Incumbent mayor Mitch Colvin and city councilmember Kathy Jensen advanced to the November 4 general election after placing first and second in the nonpartisan blanket primary, with 47.6% and 18.1% of the vote respectively.[4]
On October 17, 2025, Freddie de la Cruz announced he was launching a write-in campaign for the general election, after placing 5th in the primary with 6.7% of the vote, citing the need for a candidate that Republicans can unite around. The mayoral election is nonpartisan, though both Colvin and Jensen are affiliated with the Democratic Party.[5]
Talking to local newspaper CityView, de la Cruz said "[the people] want to vote for a mayor that’s a Republican. They can come out and vote for Freddie.” According to North Carolina State Board of Elections data, fewer than 1 in 5 residents in Fayetteville are registered Republicans.[5]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitch Colvin (incumbent) | 12,436 | 60.05% | |
| Kathy Jensen | 7,855 | 37.93% | |
| Write-in | 418 | 2.02% | |
| Total votes | 20,709 | 100.00% | |
References
- ^ Woolverton, Paul (5 November 2025). "Fayetteville mayor, city council 2025 election results". CityView NC. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Mayoral Candidates and Points You Need to Know". FSU The Voice.
- ^ "Primary election results in Fayetteville City Council and mayor elections". CityView NC. 8 October 2025.
- ^ "Mayoral election". Ballotpedia.
- ^ a b Woolverton, Paul (17 October 2025). "Freddie de la Cruz launches write-in campaign for Fayetteville mayor". CityView NC.