He got 41% of the vote last time. He’s running again to be Raleigh’s next mayor.

Anna Johnson
·2 min read

Terrance “Truth” Ruth, a professor in the School of Social Work at N.C. State University, is once again running to be Raleigh’s next mayor.

Ruth, 41, placed second against Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin in 2022, capturing 41% of the vote.

“We will be prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow by inspiring Raleigh to make different choices today,” he said in a news release. “Our biggest challenges require long-term solutions. Long-term solutions are generated only when a city, not a small segment of a city, is invested in the process and the outcomes.”

An education consultant and former executive director of the North Carolina NAACP, Ruth has never held public office. In the news release, he says his candidacy will be anchored on three principles: security, representation and change.

In his 2022 candidate questionnaire, Ruth said he was in favor of bringing Citizen Advisory Councils, or CACs, back and would not vote to increase the police department’s budget, instead putting funding toward an alternative crisis response program.

Four years ago the Raleigh City Council disbanded its 18 citizen advisory councils in a surprise vote without notice, The News & Observer previously reported. Last month, in another surprise motion, made by City Council member and former CAC chair Christina Jones, the City Council brought them back.

Who else is running?

Baldwin has said she’ll announce in the spring whether she will run for re-election.

“My intent, at this point, is to run again,” Baldwin has told The N&O. “We’ve still got work to do. And we need leadership. I’ve led on issues from affordable housing to transit, and I’m finally seeing results. And I don’t want to see things go sideways.”

The filing period for candidates for Raleigh mayor and City Council runs July 5-19. The election is Nov. 6.

Those who have declared they intend to file for mayor include:

  • Corey Branch, Raleigh City Council member

  • Janet Cowell, former Raleigh City Council member and former state treasurer

  • Delmonte Crawford, activist

  • Paul Fitts, mortgage broker

  • James Shaughnessy IV, Pre-law student