The North Carolina Court of Appeals (Photo: nccourts.gov)
North Carolina voters appear close to filling three of the 15 seats on the Court of Appeals — the state’s second highest court. Republicans, who held and 11-4 advantage over Democrats coming into the election, could be about to extend their advantage to 12-3.
In the contest for Seat 12, Republican Tom Murry — a former legislator, Army National Guard member and prosecutor — leads incumbent Carolyn Jennings Thompson, who was appointed to the court in 2023 by Democratic governor Roy Cooper, in a race that has yet to be officially called by the Associated Press.
With all precincts reporting Murry had 50.99% of the vote to Thompson’s 49.01% for a gap of 108,000-plus votes, according to the State Board of Elections.
The other two contests have been called.
In the contest for Seat 14, the incumbent Republican Valerie Zachary defeated Democrat Ed Eldred, an attorney who previously clerked for two Court of Appeals judges. Zachary was appointed to the bench by then-Governor Pat McCrory in July 2015.
The Associated Press projected Zachary as the victor early Wednesday morning. With all precincts reporting, Zachary had 52.37% of the vote to Eldred’s 47.63%, for a gap of around 260,000 votes, according to the State Board of Elections.
In the contest for Seat 15, Chris Freeman, a district court judge since 2014, defeated Democrat Martin E. Moore, a Buncombe County Commissioner who was previously a public defender in Asheville. Freeman is also a member of the Air Force.
The Associated Press projected Freeman as the victor early Wednesday morning. With all precincts reporting, Freeman had 51.82% of the vote to Moore’s 48.18%, for a gap of 198,000 votes, according to the State Board of Elections.