Democrats running for North Carolina’s Supreme Court and Court of Appeals outraised and outspent Republicans by a significant margin in the most recent quarter, reflecting their party’s vow earlier this year to prioritize investment in judicial races. However, Republicans still hold a substantial cash advantage heading into July, with a combined war chest of $1,351,757 compared to Democrats’ $688,575. 

In the North Carolina Supreme Court race, pivotal to Democrats’ strategy of reclaiming the court before the critical 2030 redistricting, Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs has narrowly outpaced Republican appellate court Judge Jefferson Griffin in recent fundraising.  

However, Griffin still maintains an overall fundraising advantage over Riggs, who holds one of the Democrats’ two Supreme Court seats, the only seat up for election this year. 

Even if Riggs wins, Democrats cannot retake control of the state Supreme Court this year, as Republicans will still hold a 5-2 majority.  

Riggs outraised Griffin by $186,222 in fundraising during the second quarter, pulling in $650,109 compared to Griffin’s $463,887. Riggs’ campaign also outspent her opponent in recent months, more than tripling Griffin’s spending at $245,215 to Griffin’s $75,990.

As the campaign enters its final four months, Griffin, who was elected in 2020 to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, reports having $1,134,750 on hand, while Riggs’ campaign reported a total of $583,007.  

Riggs ascended to the high court in 2023 when Gov. Roy Cooper appointed her to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Associate Justice Mike Morgan. The appointment came just nine months after Cooper appointed her to the Court of Appeals. Cooper appointed Judge Carolyn Thompson to fill Riggs’ seat on the appeals court.  

Republicans currently control a majority of seats on both the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.   

In the appeals court, where Republicans hold an 11-4 majority, three seats are currently open.

Thompson, a Democrat, is running against Republican Thomas Murry to retain her seat. This quarter, she raised $62,885 and spent $43,610, outpacing Murry, who raised $51,080 and spent $33,242. 

Heading into July, Murry, an Army veteran and former state representative known for sponsoring the state’s controversial voter ID law in 2013, has a campaign account of $143,478 compared to Thompson’s $28,496.  

Republican incumbent Judge Valerie J. Zachary, appointed to the appeals court in 2015 by former governor Pat McCrory, faces a challenge from Democrat Edward Eldred, a veteran appellate attorney from Orange County. Zachary, elected to an eight-year term in 2016, trailed Eldred this quarter, raising $36,980 compared to the challenger’s $53,434. Eldred also significantly outspent Zachary this quarter, spending $23,325 in the past three months, compared to Zachary’s $5,410. 

Buncombe County Commissioner Martin Moore, a Democrat, has also outraised and outspent his opponent, Republican District Court Judge Christopher Freeman from Rockingham and Caswell counties, in the race for Appeals Court Seat 15 this quarter. Moore raised $33,174 and spent $23,308, compared to Freeman’s $19,450 raised and $16,919 spent. Moore also has a slight advantage in available funds, with $20,339 compared to Freeman’s $18,715. 

North Carolina Democratic Party leaders have said they believe the key to Republican success in recent statewide judicial races is that Republicans have had a judicial coordinating campaign director for years.  

“They had someone that was in the Republican GOP headquarters every year that was maintaining their judicial races and focusing on them,” Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said in January. “And we need to make sure we have that in the party this year, too,”  

The party created the position of judicial coordinating campaign director for the first time earlier this year and hired Becca Zerkin to fill it as part of the strategy to win judicial races. Zerkin’s role will include focusing on the statewide races and ensuring candidates travel across North Carolina before Election Day. 

Reporter Ahmed Jallow covers education as well as politics and elections