2018 North Carolina judicial elections
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One justice of the seven-member North Carolina Supreme Court and three judges of the 15-member North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected by North Carolina voters on November 6, 2018, concurrently with other state elections. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. These elections were partisan for the first time since the elections of 2002.[1] A law passed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2017 cancelled primary elections for judicial elections in 2018 only, meaning that an unlimited number of candidates from any party could run in the general election.[2]
Democrats won all four races in November 2018, representing an increase of one Democrat on the Supreme Court and an increase of two Democrats on the Court of Appeals (with one Democrat elected to the seat he already held by appointment).[3]
Supreme Court
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November 6, 2018
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1 seat of the Supreme Court of North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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November 6, 2018
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 County results Earls: 30-40% 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70-80% 80-90% Jackson: 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Justice Barbara Jackson ran for re-election to a second eight-year term.
Christopher Anglin, a registered Democrat, changed his party affiliation to Republican in early June, before registering as a candidate on the last day of filing period.[4] In response, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill in July, Senate Bill 3, that would require judicial candidates to be registered with their party label for at least 90 days. If a candidate had not been registered for 90 days with a party, their name would appear on the ballot without a party label.[5] Governor Cooper vetoed the bill, but the General Assembly overrode it.[6] Anglin sued in the Wake County Superior Court, and the Court struck down parts of Senate Bill 3, allowing Anglin to be listed on the ballot as Republican.[7]
Candidates
- Christopher Anglin (Republican), managing partner at Anglin Law Firm[8]
- Anita Earls (Democratic), former executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice (1998–2000), and former member of the North Carolina State Board of Elections (2009–2011)[9]
- Barbara Jackson (Republican), incumbent associate justice[10]
Endorsements
Federal officials
- G. K. Butterfield, U.S. representative for North Carolina's 1st congressional district[11]
- Eric Holder, former United States Attorney General (2009–2015)[12]
Statewide officials
- Jim Hunt, former governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, 1993–2001)[11]
Labor unions
Political parties
Organizations
- Emily's List[13]
- Equality North Carolina[13]
- People's Alliance PAC[15]
Newspapers and other media
Statewide officials
- Cherie Berry, North Carolina Commissioner of Labor[18]
- Burley Mitchell, former Chief Justice (1995–1999)[18]
Political parties
Newspapers and other media
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Barbara Jackson (R) |
Anita Earls (D) |
Chris Anglin (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[20] | October 26–29, 2018 | 659 (LV) | ± 6.0% | 22% | 44% | 19% | 16% |
| Public Policy Polling (D)[21] | October 26–28, 2018 | 675 (LV) | – | 23% | 37% | 14% | 26% |
| SurveyUSA[22] | October 2–6, 2018 | 561 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 15% | 43% | 22% | 21% |
| Harper Polling (R)[23] | September 4–7, 2018 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 11% | 38% | 7% | 44% |
| National Research Inc.[24] | June 7 & 9–10, 2018 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 35% | 35% | – | 29% |
| Civitas, Inc. (R)[25] | February 6–8, 2018 | 1000 (RV) | ± 3.0% | 43% | 31% | – | 22% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Anita Earls | 1,812,751 | 49.56% | |
| Republican | Barbara Jackson (incumbent) | 1,246,263 | 34.07% | |
| Republican | Christopher Anglin | 598,753 | 16.37% | |
| Total votes | 3,657,767 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
Court of Appeals Seat 1 (Arrowood seat)
The seat held by Judge John S. Arrowood was on the 2018 ballot. Arrowood was appointed to the seat in 2017 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge Douglas McCullough.
Candidates
- John S. Arrowood (Democrat), incumbent Judge[27]
- Andrew Heath (Republican), North Carolina Superior Court judge and budget director under former Governor of North Carolina Pat McCrory[28]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John S. Arrowood (incumbent) | 1,855,728 | 50.79% | |
| Republican | Andrew Heath | 1,797,929 | 49.21% | |
| Total votes | 3,653,657 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Court of Appeals Seat 2 (Calabria seat)
The seat held by Judge Ann Marie Calabria, a Republican, was on the 2018 ballot. Calabria did not run for reelection.
Candidates
- Jefferson Griffin (Republican), Wake County district court judge[29]
- Toby Hampson (Democratic), attorney at Wyrick, Robbins, Yates & Ponton, LLP[29]
- Sandra Ray (Republican), New Hanover County district court judge[29]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tobias Hampson | 1,766,470 | 48.79% | |
| Republican | Jefferson Griffin | 1,293,098 | 35.72% | |
| Republican | Sandra Ray | 561,015 | 15.50% | |
| Total votes | 3,620,583 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
Court of Appeals Seat 3 (Elmore seat)
The seat held by Judge Rick Elmore, a Republican, was on the 2018 ballot. Elmore announced in 2017 that he would not seek a third term.[30]
Candidates
- Allegra Collins (Democratic), law professor at Campbell University School of Law[31]
- Chuck Kitchen (Republican), private practice attorney[32]
- Michael Monaco (Libertarian), attorney and partner at Monaco & Roberts, PLLC[32]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Allegra Katherine Collins | 1,773,702 | 48.58% | |
| Republican | Chuck Kitchen | 1,709,847 | 46.83% | |
| Libertarian | Michael Monaco, Sr. | 167,773 | 4.59% | |
| Total votes | 3,651,322 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||