2026 North Carolina judicial elections
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| Elections in North Carolina |
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At least one justice of the seven-member North Carolina Supreme Court and three judges of the fifteen-member North Carolina Court of Appeals are scheduled to be elected by North Carolina voters on November 3, 2026, concurrently with other state elections. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. These elections are conducted on a partisan basis.
Primary elections (for seats with more than one candidate from a political party) were held on March 3, 2026.[1]
Democratic primary
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November 3, 2026
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Justice Anita Earls is the incumbent.
Nominee
- Anita Earls, incumbent justice[2]
Republican primary
Nominee
- Sarah Stevens, attorney and state representative (2009–present)[3]
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Anita Earls (D) |
Sarah Stevens (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouGov[A][4] | March 26 – April 6, 2026 | 703 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 43% | 43% | 2%[b] | 13% |
| 800 (RV) | ± 4.1% | 42% | 40% | 2%[b] | 16% | ||
| Harper Polling (R)[5][B] | March 22–23, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 41% | 38% | 3%[c] | 18% |
| Public Policy Polling (D)[6] | March 13–14, 2026 | 556 (V) | ± 4.2% | 43% | 40% | – | 17% |
| Change Research (D)[7] | January 31 – February 4, 2026 | 1,069 (V) | ± 3.1% | 45% | 43% | – | 12% |
| Change Research (D)[8][C] | January 5–7, 2026 | 1,105 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 41% | 42% | – | 17% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Anita Earls (incumbent) | |||
| Republican | Sarah Stevens | |||
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
Court of Appeals Seat 1
Judge John S. Arrowood is the incumbent.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- John S. Arrowood, incumbent judge[9]
Republican primary
Nominee
- Michael C. Byrne, administrative law judge[10]
Eliminated in primary
- Matt Smith, Union County Superior Court judge (Judicial District 20B)[10]
Endorsements
Michael C. Byrne
- State legislators
- Paul Stam, former Speaker pro tempore (2013-2017) and Majority Leader (2011-2013) of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 37th District[11]
- Organizations
- Newspapers
- The News & Observer (Republican primary only)[12]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Byrne | 301,730 | 51.54 | |
| Republican | Matt Smith | 283,660 | 48.46 | |
| Total votes | 585,390 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
John Arrowood (D) |
Michael Byrne (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D)[6] | March 13–14, 2026 | 556 (V) | ± 4.2% | 43% | 40% | 17% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Arrowood (incumbent) | |||
| Republican | Michael Byrne | |||
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
Court of Appeals Seat 2
Judge Toby Hampson is the incumbent.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Toby Hampson, incumbent judge[9]
Republican primary
Nominee
- George Bell, Mecklenburg County Superior Court judge (Judicial District 26C)[10]
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Toby Hampson (D) |
George Bell (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D)[6] | March 13–14, 2026 | 556 (V) | ± 4.2% | 41% | 43% | 16% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Toby Hampson (incumbent) | |||
| Republican | George Bell | |||
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
Court of Appeals Seat 3
Judge Allegra Collins is the incumbent.
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Christine Walczyk, Wake County District Court judge (Judicial District 10C)[14]
Eliminated in primary
- James Whalen, attorney at Brooks Pierce LLP[15]
Declined
- Allegra Collins, incumbent judge[16][17]
Endorsements
Christine Walczyk
- Newspapers
- The News & Observer (Democratic primary only)[18]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Christine Walczyk | 492,809 | 62.33 | |
| Democratic | James Whalen | 297,780 | 37.67 | |
| Total votes | 788,130 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Nominee
- Craig Collins, Gaston County Superior Court judge (Judicial District 27A)[10]
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Christine Walczyk (D) |
Craig Collins (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D)[6] | March 13–14, 2026 | 556 (V) | ± 4.2% | 42% | 41% | 17% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Craig Collins | |||
| Democratic | Christine Walczyk | |||
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
