Meet the outstanding statewide judicial candidates running in 2026 who will protect our rights and our democracy!
Our Interview with Court of Appeals Candidate Judge John Arrowood
We recently met with Judge John Arrowood, who is seeking re-election to the Court of Appeals this fall. In this interview, Arrowood discusses his pitch to voters; the ways in which our state courts are increasingly viewed as having a partisan bias; his fellow statewide judicial candidates; and more.
Our Interview with Court of Appeals Candidate Judge Toby Hampson
We recently met with Judge Toby Hampson, who is seeking re-election to the Court of Appeals this fall. Judge Hampson began his career at the state Court of Appeals, clerking for three judges. In this interview, he discusses his pitch to voters; the ways AI is affecting the judicial branch; what he is hearing from North Carolinians as he travels the state; and more.
Our Interview with Court of Appeals Candidate Judge Christine Walczyk
We recently met with Judge Christine Walczyk, the Democratic candidate for the Court of Appeals seat currently held by Judge Allegra Collins (who is not seeking re-election). Judge Walczyk has been a Wake County district court trial judge for 19 years. In this interview, she discusses her pitch to voters; the chronic under funding of our courts; her growing concerns about the politicization of the judicial branch; and more.
Our Conversation with Justice Anita Earls
We recently met with Justice Anita Earls, one of two Democrats on the N.C. Supreme Court, who is defending her seat in November’s election. In this wide-ranging conversation, she talks about her recent fiery Leandro dissent, the fallout from 2024’s bitterly contested Supreme Court race, her concerns about the state of our democracy locally and nationally, and what’s offering her hope and joy during these trying times.
Eight Reasons We’re Energized for 2026!
FLIP NC's 2026 Primary Endorsements
As we wrote back in September, after several Democrats in the NC Legislature voted with Republicans to override Governor Stein’s vetoes on a series of bad bills, we have updated our endorsements policy. We believe that having the right people in positions of power is critical, and progress depends not just on electing Democrats but on electing the right Democrats who will fight for the people – not give ground to Republican extremists.
This cycle, we are endorsing three Democratic primary candidates who we believe will make a clear and significant difference in the lives of North Carolinians – and who need our support in the upcoming primary elections on Tuesday, March 3.
Virginia shows us the way – again!
Tuesday’s election results brought a steady stream of great news as Democrats racked up wins across the country. Democrats won the governorship in New Jersey, retained their 5-2 majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and flipped two statewide offices in Georgia that Democrats hadn’t won since 2000. A large majority of New Yorkers chose millennial mayor-elect Mamdani over the Trump-endorsed Cuomo. Voters in California easily passed Prop 50, designed to answer Republicans’ election map rigging in other states, and Maine voters rejected a vote-restricting ballot measure.
But our eyes were on Virginia, where Democrats flipped the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General – and picked up a whopping 13 seats in their House of Delegates.
FLIP NC Lit Drop FAQs (2026 midterm update)
What good are Democrats if they vote like Republicans?
This summer, several Democratic NC House members from safe blue districts joined extremist Republicans to override eight of Governor Josh Stein’s vetoes – making us less free, less safe, and less economically secure.
When elected Democrats side with far-right Republicans to push regressive laws, they’re not compromising; they’re betraying. And their constituents deserve better.
The candidate filing period for the 2026 primary election runs from Monday, December 1, 2025 toFriday, December 19, 2025.
It’s time for some primary challengers.
Updating Our Endorsement Policy for 2025
Since our founding in 2017, FLIP NC has followed a clear rule: we did not endorse in Democratic primaries.
Starting this election cycle, we’ve updated our endorsement policy. While we won’t weigh in on every primary, FLIP NC will endorse candidates in legislative and judicial races when we believe that candidate will mean a clear and significant difference in the lives of North Carolinians and where we believe early support may make a real difference.
Our goal is to help voters understand who is running and what they represent so we can elect the leaders who will best serve their constituents and who are best prepared to meet the moment in these unprecedented times.
We’re excited to more fully engage in primary races moving forward and are confident that this change will allow us to better serve our mission: fighting for a more progressive state that serves all North Carolinians.
The Most Competitive NC Legislative Districts in 2026
North Carolinians deserve fair voting maps that allow us to choose our representatives instead of representatives choosing their voters. The first step to getting fair maps is taking back our state courts before new maps are drawn for the next decade.
In the meantime, we must keep up the fight to prevent Republicans from regaining a veto-proof supermajority in our state legislature.
Here are the most competitive legislative districts in North Carolina that need our support to win in 2026.
Back (again) by Popular Demand (ONE WEEK ONLY!): Our Anita Earls shirts!
Building the Blue Wave in 2026
Here in North Carolina, our first electoral opportunity to begin prying back our state and our country from partisan extremists comes in 2026, when what happens at ballot boxes across the state will shape what happens in Raleigh and Washington, D.C. – both in the near term and for years to come.
The great news is that midterms give us a greater opportunity to impact the outcome than presidential years, when the field is saturated with money and activity. And we know what works. Drawing on analysis and lessons from 2024 and 2018 – the last Trump midterm – we can build the blue wave we need for these critical victories.
6 Ways to Support NC Judicial Candidates This Year
Back by Popular Demand: Our Anita Earls shirts!
5 Reasons We're Pumped to Re-elect Justice Anita Earls to the NC Supreme Court!
An Update on Justice Riggs’ Fight to Protect Every Vote
FLIP NC 2024 Voter Outreach Analysis
In 2024, FLIP NC's voter outreach aimed to (1) turn out left-leaning voters, (2) reduce ballot dropoff in state court races, and (3) spread the word about the importance of our state courts through canvassing, lit drop, text banking, and social media. Our analysis suggests that our direct voter outreach added a total of ~5.7k votes statewide for Justice Riggs.
Learn more about our 2024 voter outreach analysis and impact in this detailed post.
Stand Up, Fight Back
It’s hard to stay on top of all the horrifying news coming out of Washington every day – much less react to it. But it’s precisely because this is their strategy – to overwhelm and disorient us – that it’s so important to fight back. Resistance is essential, and it works. That’s why we’re returning to our Indivisible roots (yes, FLIP NC started out as an Indivisible group back in 2017) to hold the line while continuing to focus on the state-level battles where we can have the most impact. Check out this guide, which offers clear, strategic calls to action to resist authoritarianism and build our movement for a democracy that works for everyone.
Most importantly: Don’t let them overwhelm you into inaction. Instead, protect your peace while maintaining your energy by deciding what your “thing” is and focusing on that. No one can do everything, but we can all do something.
To help, here are three ongoing ways to resist that are worth your time.