Durham County’s two-term district attorney will have a third.
Satana Deberry defeated her Democratic primary challenger, Jonathan Wilson II Tuesday, winning 61 percent of the vote.
The March 3 win means Deberry will remain Durham’s top prosecutor, as there are no challengers for the November 2026 election.
“We just ran on what we’ve always run on, which is that we all deserve a safer Durham and we can do that without criminalizing our most vulnerable people,” said Deberry in an interview at an election watch party for Nida Allam and the People’s Alliance at The Fruit.
She hopes to continue the work she started in 2019, including focusing on violent crime.
Deberry won despite some criticism of her record. Wilson, her opponent, highlighted reporting by WRAL that Deberry was present in her office for 55% or less of work days in 2020, 2021 and 2024. Deberry denied the charge.
Supporters, meanwhile, say her focus on violent crime has been effective. A 2025 Durham Police Department Fourth Quarter Report indicated a 16.9% decrease in violent crime, classified as homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
Deberry received the support of the People’s Alliance PAC, while Wilson was endorsed by the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People PAC.
It was the second time Wilson had challenged Deberry. Wilson originally ran unsuccessfully against her in 2022.
Deberry, 56, has practiced law for 32 years. A graduate of Duke University School of Law, she has also run nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity of Durham and the North Carolina Housing Coalition.
She has served as Durham’s DA since running in 2018 on a reform platform, part of a national wave of progressive prosecutorial campaigns aimed at addressing issues such as racial disparities and mass incarceration.
At around 9:52 p.m. on Tuesday, Deberry addressed the crowd at the joint Nida Allam and People’s Alliance watch party, claiming victory and thanking her supporters.
“We still have work to do, and hopefully we’ll get some more work done over the next four years to make Durham a fairer and safer place,” she said.
Deberry’s third term will begin on Jan. 1, 2027.
Photo at top: Satana Deberry speaks at an election night party in Durham. Photo by Reece MacKinney – The 9th Street Journal
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