Mayoral candidate Terrance Ruth gathered with supporters at the Westin Raleigh-Durham Airport hotel on Tuesday night as polls closed in Raleigh’s municipal election.

Ruth lost his bid for mayor, placing third among all candidates. Former state treasurer Janet Cowell won with about 60%, Paul Fitts with about 18% and Ruth gathered about 11% of counted votes.

The watch party featured a “TRUTH For Mayor” banner, ABC News on the television and music played by DJ D-DUBB. About 50 family members, friends and supporters attended the event. 

Ruth, a professor of social work at NC State who had previously run for mayor in 2022, said this election was unique in that its timing coincided with presidential and city council elections.

“It’s only the second time that our mayor election has been in the same year as a presidential election,” Ruth said. “Last time I ran, I got about 62,000 votes. You’re talking about people who voted for mayor for the first time. In the city of Raleigh, we went from poll to poll. We toured every poll. To me, I think having broad-based support gives us a good chance to touch an audience that has not voted for mayor before.” 

Ruth highlighted his roles as a father, leader and teacher. He stressed the importance of addressing Raleigh’s housing challenges.

“Post-election Terrance, at the end of the day, my happy moments are as a father and husband,” Ruth said. “I’m excited when my family can be a part of this journey. At the core of me, I’m a teacher. My philosophy is that a teacher is always a learner. My campaign is not a performance where I’m doing things to earn some social capital.”

Jeremy Ratcliff, a regional voter protection director for Guilford and Alamance counties, said he praised Ruth’s fresh approach to leadership. 

“The most necessary thing to know about Terrance is that he is a leader that is going to represent some of the newer ideas people from my age group have been wanting to see,” Ratcliff said. “I think Raleigh has been faced with a lot, I can plainly say, police corruption and brutality. Raleigh has been faced with some leaders who have not really had the best interest of a lot of marginalized people.” 

Lindsay Herbert, founder of Weird Productions, an art space dedicated to “unusual art events,” had met Ruth through a fashion show, in which he participated as a model.

“My company is all about creative collaboration and how exciting it is when different kinds of people come together and get to be themselves; I think Terrence really embodies that,” Herbert said. “I’ve worked with him with such great results, and he wasn’t mayor, so I’m confident that no matter what, he’s a very valuable person for the community and will continue doing great things.” 

Mark Teague, the vice president of the Raleigh Wake Council Of The Blind and the Raleigh Transportation Authority Commissioner, said Ruth’s political career sparked his interest in politics. 

“We met in the spring of this year and after that, I’m full force behind him, whatever direction he goes,” Teague said. “As the campaign kicked off, he shared his cell phone number with everyone. Prior to this, I was not interested in local politics. Through meeting Terrance and researching him and learning his story, that’s when I understood that local politics are one of the most important foundations that we have.”

Around 9:45 p.m, family and friends took turns expressing their support for Ruth. Amongst those who spoke were his sister, brother, son, wife, mother and several other integral figures in Ruth’s life. Hugs, drinks and more pizza slices followed speeches. 

Lynn Koy, Ruth’s campaign manager, shared their campaign’s ultimate goals as well as the necessary course of action following the results.

“Focusing on the underserved parts of Raleigh and healing it; lifting up and helping those citizens,” Koy said. “The next steps are we are going to go forward. Terrance is an amazing father, friend, community leader and professor at NC State. We are going to still continue to work and serve hearts and our community. We are here on a journey together to learn and grow, and we’ve done exactly that.”

Ruth emphasized his commitment to community service, regardless of the election outcome. 

“I just want my campaign to be known and my leadership to be known as an elevator framework in a season where people are having less trust in powerful people, to be empowered themselves,” Ruth said. 

By the end of the party, around 11 p.m., polls showed Ruth received 11% of the vote, but Ruth and everyone in the room continued positive conversation. 

“Most voters are used to campaigns that perform for the moment, and not a journey that’s benefiting the community in real time,” Ruth said. “So no matter what the results are tonight, my campaign is still producing affordable housing, my campaign is still engaging the community. “

Ruth concluded by emphasizing the importance of civic engagement.

“Democracy is worth keeping, and my campaign is trying to make sure we contribute to prevailing.”