A race with “major consequences” is slipping by almost unnoticed while Senate fights in Texas, Michigan and Maine draw most of the attention, one group says.
In an email to supporters, Defend Our Courts called the race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court “the most important race for Dems that nobody’s watching.” Justice Anita Earls is running to keep her seat against Republican Sarah Stevens on Nov. 3.
“This race has major consequences,” the group wrote. “We can’t let it fly under the radar.”
“The news is on fire right now,” the email said, pointing to the Iran war, the economy and key Senate races. “And in the chaos, quietly, almost invisibly, one of the most consequential elections in America is taking place.”
“While Democrats are justifiably fixated on key House and Senate races, hardly anyone is watching this race,” the group added.
Earls is the senior Democrat on a court the group says “MAGA has captured with a 5-2 majority.” She has a long record of defending voting rights. Stevens served in the state House starting in 2009, including as speaker pro tempore, and resigned in June to focus on the race.
The group accused Stevens of being “notorious for exactly the opposite.” It said she introduced a sweeping elections bill that would have barred officials from encouraging people to vote, ended pre-registration for teens and made it harder for nursing home residents to vote.
The court will rule on how North Carolina draws its congressional maps after the 2030 census.
The group also says a Republican justice won’t seek reelection in 2028. That would put three GOP seats on the ballot that year and give Democrats “a real shot at flipping the court back,” but only if Earls keeps her seat first.
Earls is running while recovering from breast cancer, which she disclosed in January.
