While local judges were unopposed Nov. 5, some of the hottest and most watched races of the campaign were at the state level, and all four went Republican.
Five local judges – Superior Court Judges C. Ashley Gore and Pauline Hankins, and District Court Judges Calvin Chandler, Heath Nance and Scott Ussery — faced no competition. Gore received 19,356 votes, while the other judges ranged form 18,876 to 18,497.
The race for State Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat Six gathered some nationwide attention. In the hard-fought battle between Jefferson Griffin and Allison Riggs, the Republican Griffin defeated Riggs 16,477 to 9,028. Statewide, Griffin took 50.99 percent of the vote to Riggs 49.91.
That particular race had been targeted by both parties as a battleground for abortion. Riggs is a prominent supporter of abortion, while Griffin campaigned as a pro-life candidate.
Some observers speculated that Griffin would be hurt when his National Guard unit was deployed to Hurricane Helene relief efforts right about the time Riggs began a series of attack ads against his campaign.
Griffin’s camp fired back with commercials about complaints against Riggs to the Judicial Standards Commission as well as her participation in marches during the 2020 racial unrest. Riggs allegedly marched in a parade protesting police brutality. That protest later led to property damage in downtown Raleigh.
The state supreme court is expected to see a busy calendar as challenges to the state’s new abortion laws are brought before the bar. North Carolina was one of a number of states that passed new right to life laws in the wake of last year’s dismissal of Roe Vs. Wade, sending abortion laws back to the states.
Republican Tom Murry defeated Democrat Carolyn Jennings Thompson 16,609 to 8,872 for Seat 12 on the N.C. Court of Appeals. On the state level, Murry had 50.99 percent, while Thompson took 49.01.
Valerie Zachary, also a Republican, defeated Democrat Ed Eldred 16,80 to 8,703 for Seat 14 on the Appeals Court. Zachary had a slightly wider victory than some races, with 52.37 to Edlred’s 47.3 at the state level.
Chris Freeman defeated Democrat Martin Moore 16,647 to 8,474 for Appeals Seat 14.
Freeman received 51.82 percent to More’s 48.18 of the statewide vote.
