The Oct. 7 primary features the race for mayor and city council.
Check here for results
One of the main issues, according to some voters ABC11 spoke with, is crime.
Regina King, of Durham, was one of many to cast a ballot early in the municipal primary election.
"I just think that there needs to be some changes in Durham," she said. "I wanted to get out and make my vote count quickly. I just think sometimes you need to have some new blood, new ideas, new advancements."
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Here's a look at the candidates hoping to lead the Bull City.
NOTE: Candidates are listed as they appear on the Durham sample ballot.
Candidates for mayor
Anjanee Bell
The Bell name resonates throughout Durham. The candidate's father is Bill Bell, Durham's longest-serving mayor (2001-17).
She has said that the connection that voters will make to her last name and her father's legacy is not lost on her, but she also said she doesn't believe it will hold her back in any way.
"I've always grown to understand the expectation with my last name, but that has never kept me from standing on my own two feet," she told ABC11 in July. "The privilege has been that I've had exposure. I've been able to be in rooms with people that others praise in amazing ways. But for me, I've just seen them as people that I've grown up to be in earshot of powerful conversations and engagement. And it's informed me in many, many rich ways. But I've never taken it for granted because my parents didn't let me take it for granted."
Pablo Friedman
Friedman is a former high school math teacher and current district administrator. He is the Director of Durham Public Schools' Multilingual Resource Center.
Friedman said he has a different vision for the city's economic development, calling Williams' position "dead wrong." He said he wants a win-win approach for all involved.
Lloyd Phillips
Phillips bills himself as "not a politician," and little is known about his political positions.
Leo Williams
Williams, the incumbent, has touted the progress he's made as mayor in his reelection bid.
"Under my leadership, we are, we now have a model for growth. Under my leadership, you can actually see where Durham is headed. And we're on a national stage now. And so I just want to continue to build on that, " he said at a recent business community forum.
Williams was first elected mayor in 2023 after previously serving on the city council.
Rafiq Zaidi
Zaidi says he's running for mayor because he is tired of the same rhetoric every election cycle. At 81 years old, Zaidi says it's time to stand up for Durham "as we know it."
The top two candidates will move on to the general election on Nov. 4.
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There are three ward races in Durham. The top two candidates in each ward will move on to the general election on Nov. 4.
Ward 1 (6 candidates)
Dr. Andrea Cazales
Cazales is a nurse and community advocate who is the daughter of first-generation Mexican immigrants.
She says on her campaign website that "Durham calls itself the City of Medicine. It's time for leadership that reflects it, understands it, and acts like it. Because a healthy Durham is a thriving Durham."
DeDreana Freeman
Freeman is the current Ward 1 council member. She was first elected to the city council in 2017 and reelected in 2021. Now, she is seeking a third term.
She's also Director of Partnership Development, CornerSquare Community Capital of the NC Rural Economic Development Center and Thread Capital.
Freeman says her priorities are community engagement and collaboration, inclusive and sustainable growth, and socioeconomic justice.
Elijah King
King is a lifelong Durham resident and is an advocate who serves as third vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.
He wants to help small businesses thrive by working to expand access to low-interest loans, grants and other resources. He also lists transit and public safety as key issues in Durham.
Matt Kopac
Kopac has previously served on Durham's planning commission and the Environmental Affairs Board. He's also been involved in several other key initiatives.
He says on his campaign website that he is running because "Durham is home and a community that I love."
Samaria McKenzie
MKenzie has lived in Durham for more than 10 years and has worked as a marketing director and a consultant. She also earned a North Carolina real estate license.
McKenzie says her priorities include empowering people by limiting corporate government contracts, fighting crime, strengthening tenants' rights, and repairing sidewalks, roads and parks in low-income neighborhoods.
Sheryl Smith
Smith has long advocated against gun violence. It's a personal mission for her -- she lost a son to gun violence in 2021.
Now, she's hoping to take the next step by winning a seat on the city council.
Ward 2 (3 candidates)
Shanetta Burris
Burris was born in Gastonia but moved to the area as a teenager and attended Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough. The double graduate of North Carolina Central University says that as a city council member, she would focus on policies that would promote equity, justice, and economic growth for all Durham residents.
Burris is endorsed by former Durham Mayor Elaine O'Neal as well as former council member Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman.
Mark-Anthony Middleton
Middleton is the sitting council member in Ward 2 and is also the mayor pro tempore.
The pastor of Abundant Hope Christian Church, Middleton was first elected to the council in 2017 and won reelection in 2021. He has served on numerous city council committees and is an outspoken voice against crime and youth violence and a supporter of affordable housing initiatives.
He was a supporter of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology as a tool to prevent and fight crime. The council voted to end the program in 2023 despite his support for it.
"How is getting to gunfire in our streets in a timely fashion a threat to our democracy?" Middleton told ABC11 in November 2023. "I mean, if you think that's a bad idea, I really don't know what the refute is. If someone calls 911 and the police come, what's the difference in an electronic sensor telling the police to go to the gunfire?"
Ashley N. Robbins
Robbins works as an assistive technology manager at Wake Tech.
She has been a longtime advocate for people with disabilities. Robbins is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and has said one of her goals is to make the Hayti Heritage Center a "fully accessible, inclusive space."
Ward 3 (4 candidates)
Chelsea Cook
Cook was appointed to the city council in 2024, and is seeking to serve again.
Cook, an activist and a lawyer, has practiced for the past five years as an eviction defense attorney. Cook also successfully advocated for the expansion of the HEART program.
Some of Cook's platform priorities include providing improved resources to combat homelessness, supporting and investing in affordable housing, and continuing to ensure fair treatment of tenants.
Durant Long
Long grew up in Durham and says economic security and social stability are must-haves for all Durham residents.
Long has voiced criticism of the current council, saying it has "largely followed the status quo." Though he praises Durham for its HEART program, transit system and parks initiative, he is concerned about crime.
Terry McCann
McCann is a math teacher who lists a safer Durham as a top priority.
McCann supports restoring the ShotSpotter program and wants the Durham Police Department to hire the most qualified candidates it can. He also supports installing metal detectors at all Durham public schools, among other measures
He also supports transforming Northgate Mall into a vibrant area featuring affordable housing and retail space, including a grocery store such as Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.
Diana Medoff
As a school teacher and a mother, education is naturally an important issue for Medoff.
Affordable housing and economic development are also areas of focus. Medoff also says she wants to make Durham a top place for workers and businesses.
Medoff says she's ready to "fight for the resources our youth need to grow into healthy and happy adults."
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NOTE: Video is from a previous report.