RALEIGH, N.C. — A former North Carolina Democratic congressman whose bid for U.S. Senate ended several weeks ago announced Tuesday that he is running to become the top prosecutor in the state’s largest county.

Ex-U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, who also served previously as a state legislator, said he wants to become the next Wake County district attorney. Current DA Lorrin Freeman has said she will not seek another four-year term in 2026.

Nickel, a lawyer who also once worked as a White House staffer in Barack Obama’s administration, said in a news release that he’s running to bring his experience “back to the local level and drive real change for our criminal justice system.”

Nickel was elected in 2022 to the U.S. House from a Raleigh-area swing district. But he decided against seeking a seco

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