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Incumbent ousted in Morehead City mayoral race

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published March 4, 2026 at 5:11 AM EST
Longtime Mayor Jerry Jones challenged the results, pointing to at least two of his supporters who were improperly turned away from the polls. The State Board of Elections determined Thursday that those voters should have been given provisional ballots.
Morehead City Government
Longtime Mayor Jerry Jones challenged the results, pointing to at least two of his supporters who were improperly turned away from the polls. The State Board of Elections determined Thursday that those voters should have been given provisional ballots.

Morehead City voters cast their ballots a second time, and unseated incumbent Mayor Jerry Jones.

Lee Stiles won the race with 67 percent of the vote.

In November, just one vote separated the candidates; Jones filed a protest, arguing that several people were denied the opportunity to vote on Election Day. The State Board of Elections ordered a new vote.

Jones was elected as the mayor in 1999, and Stiles was elected to the city council in 2023.
Annette Weston
Annette is an award-winning journalist based in Eastern North Carolina. Her career includes professional stops across the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Southeast, recently culminating in a 2026 Region 8 Edward R. Murrow Award for Small Market Radio Best News Series for her work on the Camp Lejeune Justice Act Series. Guided by a passion for human-interest storytelling, she focuses on narratives that touch hearts and connect communities. A mother of four and grandmother of two, Annette enjoys reading and creating epic Halloween costumes in her spare time. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston