Congressional, judicial, and district attorney hopefuls across the state flocked to Raleigh on Monday to get their names on the ballot.
The Caucus spoke with several first-time and returning candidates about their vision and what to expect from them if elected.
Order in the Court
Democratic Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls was among the first to submit paperwork for her reelection bid. She doesn’t have any primary challengers and is expected to face Republican state Rep. Sarah Stevens of Surry County in the general election.
In an interview, Earls expressed concern with Stevens’ legislative background.
“The voters will have a real choice if Sarah Stevens is my opponent,” Earls told The Caucus. “She has voted to take away so many of the rights that I think are fundamental.”
Earls cited Stevens’ support of abortion restrictions and changes that she sees as reducing North Carolinians’ ability to vote.
Stevens accused Earls of judicial overreach.
“Anita Earls is a liberal judicial activist who wants our courts, not our duly elected legislature to write the laws,” Stevens said in a statement. “I welcome the opportunity to expose her radical leftist agenda to all North Carolina voters.”
The Democrat also addressed recent pushback to a statement she issued last month criticizing the U.S. Border Patrol’s presence in Charlotte and Raleigh. Republican Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr. called Earls’ statement “irresponsible” and questioned her neutrality.
“Judges are not political commentators and we are not supposed to be advocates,” Berger Jr. wrote. “When we speak as if we are, we blur the boundaries.”
Earls defended her statement, saying she has a First Amendment right and obligation as a statewide candidate to put a spotlight on issues she cares about.
“It’s important not to confuse two different things,” Earls said. “What we do as justices in our opinions is one thing, but voters have the right, I think, to know what our values are and what we stand for. That’s maybe different than in the past.”
Democratic Court of Appeals Judges Toby Hampson and John Arrowood also submitted paperwork for their reelection campaigns. There also will be a competitive Democratic primary for an open Court of Appeals seat between James Whalen and Christine Walczyk.
The Caucus asked Hampson about his involvement in the long-running state Supreme Court election dispute in which Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin sought to overturn his defeat by Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs.
A three-judge panel including Hampson sided with Griffin and ordered the removal of several longtime voters falsely labeled as “never residents.” (The Assembly was first to report that many of those voters actually did live in the state or had in the past.) Hampson dissented, and a federal Trump-appointed judge ultimately ruled in Riggs’ favor.
“There’d never been any evidentiary hearing to determine which of these voters were, in fact, in the right categories or not in the right categories,” Hampson said. “We were just making assumptions about these voters based on their appearance on a list. It just underscores that facts matter.”
Congressional Chaos
Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis announced Monday that he’d seek reelection in the redrawn 1st Congressional District, though he hasn’t yet filed with the State Board of Elections. Republican state lawmakers redrew the northeastern voting lines in an effort to net their party an additional congressional seat. (Punchbowl News first reported on Davis’ plans.)
Davis had debated whether to challenge Republican Rep. Greg Murphy in the 3rd District, since he lives in Snow Hill, which is now in Murphy’s district. Unlike those running for the North Carolina General Assembly, congressional candidates don’t have to live in their districts.
“Many feel Washington, D.C., isn’t serving their needs, and the redistricting battle clearly proves it,” Davis said in a statement. “I’m running in NC-01 to ensure everyone, from the northeast to the coast, has a powerful voice in Congress.”
Republican state Sen. Bobby Hanig filed to run against Davis on Monday. He told reporters he was happy to learn of Davis’ decision to stay in the 1st District.
“We’ll expose Don,” Hanig said. “What he is and what he says he is are two totally different things.”
Hanig must first get through a crowded GOP primary that so far includes Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson, Lenoir County Commissioner Eric Rouse, attorney Ashley Nicole Russell, and Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck.
Thirteen people submitted paperwork to run for Congress on Monday, including GOP incumbents Chuck Edwards and Richard Hudson and Democratic Rep. Val Foushee.
Foushee, who is in a deep blue district, said she’s optimistic about Democrats’ chances next year and hopes the party adopts an affordability-centric message. “For Democrats, we should be most focused on healthcare and returning jobs,” she said.
Hudson, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, said he’s hopeful voters will reward Republicans for their legislative agenda, which includes the One Big Beautiful Bill tax and spending law.
“The American people in the last election returned Donald Trump to the White House with a very specific agenda, and the Congress has delivered on that agenda,” Hudson said. “So I believe the people are going to reward Republicans.”
Edwards is the lone Republican seen as potentially vulnerable. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report ranks Edwards’ district as Likely Republican. Democrats hope voters in Western North Carolina will want a change in congressional leadership over what they see as a slow federal response to Hurricane Helene.
Edwards said he’s pleased more funds have been approved for North Carolina recently, including $155 million in FEMA grants for infrastructure repairs, but has found himself frustrated over the past year over local governments waiting on reimbursements to be approved.
“It’s inaccurate to say that the recovery has been slower than expected,” Edwards said. “The thing that has been slower than expected is the reimbursement to local governments for the investment that they’ve made in the recovery. The recovery continues to operate at breakneck speed.”
Jamie Ager, a farmer and CEO of Hickory Nut Gap Farms in Fairview, is running in the Democratic primary in hopes of challenging Edwards. He said he respects Edwards’ business experience and accessibility to constituents but feels he’s fallen short on supporting recovery efforts.
“He’s not represented our district and gotten the money from Hurricane Helene that we need to get our feet back under us,” Ager said. “He’s been tone deaf to the frustrations around Helene and to just how much the cost of living is. He doesn’t understand the district.”
Legislative Angling
The showdown is officially on between Republican Senate leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. Both filed paperwork for what is likely to be the most consequential and intriguing primary race in the state.
In a twist, Democratic Sen. Dan Blue of Wake County also filed for reelection. Blue’s colleagues ousted him from leadership earlier this year, and Blue told me the 2025-2026 legislative session would be his last.
He’s had a change of heart, though. Blue was the most conservative-voting Democrat in his chamber, siding with the GOP on 69% of votes this year. By comparison, new Democratic leader Sydney Batch has voted with the majority 62% of the time. If Democrats break the GOP supermajority in the Senate next year, Blue could become a key swing vote and thorn in the side of the new Democratic caucus leadership.
One other filer of note: Sen. Norman Sanderson of Pamlico County was arrested earlier this year for a DWI and has since apologized to his constituents. He filed Monday to seek reelection.
So far, seven incumbents have primary challengers:
- Page aims to unseat Berger, the state’s top Republican.
- Harnett County Commissioner William Morris is challenging Republican Rep. Joe Pike.
- Holly Ridge Mayor Pro-Tem Joshua Patti is running against Republican Rep. Carson Smith of Pender County.
- Former Democratic Rep. Michael Wray will have a rematch with Rep. Rodney Pierce of Halifax County (in the closest legislative primary last year, Pierce defeated Wray by 34 votes, or 0.3 percentage points).
- Armstrong Farms manager Darren Armstrong is running against Republican Rep. Keith Kidwell of Beaufort County.
- Democratic Rep. Amanda Cook, who was recently tapped to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Cecil Brockman of Guilford County, has a contested primary that so far includes Angie Williams-McMichael of High Point and Joe Alston, a former executive director of the NC NAACP.
- Caroline Eason of Lawndale is looking to unseat Republican Rep. Kelly Hastings of Gaston County.
Random Tidbits:
- Don Brown, a staunch vaccine critic, and Elizabeth Temple, a former substitute teacher who was accused of making offensive comments to elementary school students, filed for the U.S. Senate primary against Republican Michael Whatley (who hasn’t submitted paperwork yet).
- While he may not have a good chance at winning in a strong Republican seat, he was hands-down the tallest candidate I’ve ever seen: At 6 feet, 9.5 inches, Democrat Harry Morley is looking to upset Republican Rep. Pat Harrigan in the 10th Congressional District.
- For a moment, the North Carolina State Board of Elections listed Rep. Ray Pickett as a primary challenger to House Speaker Destin Hall. The error was quickly corrected. (They both represent parts of Watauga County.)