Duke University (1996–present) Woodard has worked as an administrator at Duke University and the
Duke University Health System since 1996.
Durham City Council (2005–2012) Woodard was first elected to the
Durham City Council in 2005, representing the city's third ward. He defeated
incumbent city council member John Best Jr. He was reelected to the city council in 2009, defeating Allan Polak.
The News & Observer reported that during Woodard's time on the city council, he was "known for attending more Durham events than any other council member". He was considered a potential successor to Durham mayor
Bill Bell, but he was elected to the North Carolina Senate before Bell's retirement in 2017. Woodard was reelected to the state senate in 2014, In March
2024, Woodard was defeated in the Democratic primary election by
Sophia Chitlik. He had previously been criticized for voting with Republicans to override
vetoes by
governor Roy Cooper.
2023 Durham mayoral campaign Woodard announced his candidacy for
mayor of Durham on July 11, 2023, after the incumbent mayor,
Elaine O'Neal, decided not to seek reelection. Woodard, who has continued to serve in the North Carolina Senate during his mayoral campaign, had previously considered running for
state treasurer. He said that one of his goals is to improve communication between the members of the Durham City Council. His platform includes increasing
affordable housing in Durham and providing competitive wages for city employees. His campaign was endorsed by the North Carolina State
AFL-CIO, the Friends of Durham
PAC, and the Professional Firefighters of Durham union (which co-endorsed
DeDreana Freeman). Woodard advanced in the
nonpartisan blanket primary on October 10, 2023, finishing second behind Durham City Council member Leonardo Williams. Williams was elected in the general election with 63 percent of the vote. ==Electoral history==