It was a so-so night for African Americans seeking office in Mecklenburg County.

Incumbent Harold Cogdell, an African American lawyer, was among the top three vote getters in the at-large race for Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, joining fellow incumbent Jennifer Roberts and former Sheriff Jim Pendergraph.

With Cogdell and Roberts retaining their seats, Democrats will remain in control of county government.

With all 195 Mecklenburg precincts reporting, Roberts was first with 112,556 votes, Republican Jim Pendergraph was second with 111,622, and Cogdell finished third with 106,596 votes.

Pendergraph, formerly a Democrat, served as the county's sheriff for 13 years.

African Americans also retained their seats in two district races:

• In District 2, Vilma Leake easily won re-election over Republican challenger Lee Ann Patton with 70 percent of the vote.
   
• In District 4, incumbent George Dunlap captured 78 percent of the tally over Republican Barbara Eveland.

In other county races, African Americans did not fair as well:

In the contest for district attorney, former city council member Michael Barnes lost a tight race to Republican Andrew Murray (48 percent to 52 percent), while in the sheriff’s race, Christopher Hailey, a relatively unknown candidate, captured just 38 percent of the vote in his loss to incumbent Chip Bailey.

For complete election coverage, visit our online news partner, CharlotteObserver.com.

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