The 2026 NC Judicial Slate, Updated!
Your State-Wide Judicial Candidates for the General Election.
In case you missed it, North Carolina held a primary election in March. PoliticsNC had a good overview of key takeaways if you want to refresh your recollection.
Now that we’re through the primary, here’s the full 2026 NC Judicial Slate:
Supreme Court:
Court of Appeals:
Please support this slate of rockstar candidates: 2026 NC Judicial Slate.
I also want to recognize the efforts of James Whalen who also ran for the N.C. Court of Appeals in the primary. Mr. Whalen ran an impressive campaign which he and his team can be proud of, and I look forward to seeing him on the ballot in the future.
As a refresher, North Carolina will have four state-wide judicial races in 2026: one seat for the North Carolina Supreme Court and three seats for the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Republicans currently hold a majority on both of these courts. We have to play the long game, but we can restore Democratic majorities on both courts.
For the Supreme Court, it started with re-electing Justice Allison Riggs in 2024. In 2026, we must re-elect Justice Anita Earls. In 2028, we must flip at least two of the three Republican-held seats that will be on the ballot. If we flip all three, that takes Democrats to a 5-2 majority.
For the North Carolina Court of Appeals, we need to hold all three Democratic-held seats in 2026. In 2028, we need to flip all five seats that will be on the ballot. It’s a tall order, but we can do it. That would get us to a 8-7 Democratic majority on the Court of Appeals.
Again, please support our rockstar Democratic judicial candidates: 2026 NC Judicial Slate.
p.s. — if you’re in the Triad and want to come out to support Justice Earls, I’ll be co-hosting a fundraising reception for her on April 25th at 4:30 with some awesome fellow hosts. It promises to be a great event — RSVP Here!