Recorded February 11, 2026, before the March primary, which McDuffie went on to win. Published as it aired.
Welcome to the Carolina Cabinet, Cumberland County's smartest hour of talk radio. Peter Pappas and Laura Mussler sit down in studio with Troy McDuffie, the Democratic candidate for Cumberland County Sheriff.
McDuffie traces a career that runs from the 82nd Airborne to the Fayetteville Police Department, where he worked patrol, child abuse and homicide cases. From there he served as chief deputy in Hoke County and police chief in Red Springs, then rebuilt the Spring Lake Police Department after it lost its police powers. He explains why he believes leadership starts at the top, and what small-town politics does to a police department.
Laura presses him on the questions voters ask: his first 90 days, rebuilding trust in underserved neighborhoods, civilian review boards, where he would cut a tight budget, how to recruit deputies when the office is short-staffed, body cameras, and how he would handle ICE detainers under state law.
Early voting begins Thursday, October 15, and Election Day is November 3. Find all of our candidate conversations at thecarolinacabinet.com.
Chapters:
00:00 Show open
04:24 Patrol to homicide investigator
08:37 Annexation and county coverage
09:55 Hoke County and Red Springs
17:32 Rebuilding Spring Lake's police department
19:52 Leadership starts at the top
22:51 Small-town politics
27:43 Why he's running
27:55 First 90 days and community trust
30:21 Civilian review boards
32:58 Sheriffs and accountability
36:02 Budget cuts
37:20 Recruitment and staffing
39:12 Body cameras
40:48 The first 100 days
44:08 ICE detainers
45:54 How to support the campaign
RSS Feed