Former NC congressman Wiley Nickel to announce he is running for Wake Co. DA

WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Former North Carolina congressman Wiley Nickel will soon announce he is running for Wake County district attorney.

Nickel represented the 13th congressional district and decided not to run for re-election in 2024 after voting maps were changed.

In July, the Democrat suspended his campaign for US Senate when former governor Roy Cooper decided to run for the seat.

Nickel joins two other people running to take over from Lorrin Freeman, who's not running for re-election.

This includes Sherita Walton, a former Wake County assistant district attorney now working with the city attorney's office in Raleigh, where she collaborates with the police department. The other candidate is Melanie Shekita, the assistant district attorney for Wake County, has led the Special Victims Unit and served in the Wake County District Attorney's Office for 27 years.

The election of the next top prosecutor in Wake County is set for November 2026.