{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Amber Eades Crouch","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"**Amber Eades Crouch lost the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for NC District Court, District 36 Seat 05, placing 2nd of 2 candidates with 14,096 votes (48.9%); Gregory R. (Greg) Hayes won the nomination with 14,747 votes (51.1%) [3].**\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Amber Eades Crouch is a registered voter in Catawba County, North Carolina, registered since 2008 (18 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Amber Eades Crouch's year of birth as 1989; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 12 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Amber Eades Crouch can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 primary election results (precinct-level canvass), published at dl.ncsbe.gov (https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip)","firstname":"Amber","lastname":"Crouch","middlename":"Eades","suffix":null,"token":"323a57ea51febe5c"},"token":"5-0DkJv3Ikde4CDp"},{"candidatename":"Gregory R. (Greg) Hayes","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nGregory R. Hayes is a Republican candidate for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 36, Seat 5, covering Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties [1]. He is not the incumbent in this race; per his own Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey response, he currently serves as an Emergency Superior Court Judge appointed by Governor Roy Cooper [1]. He ran in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary against fellow Republican Amber Eades Crouch [1].\n\n## Background and education\nHayes is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Wake Forest University School of Law (J.D. 1983), per his Ballotpedia survey response [1].\n\n## Career\nPer his Ballotpedia survey response, Hayes served as an assistant district attorney in Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties from 1983 to 1988, then practiced privately with the firm Vaught and Hayes from 1988 to 1994 [1]. He served as a District Court judge in Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties from 1994 to 2014, then as a Resident Superior Court judge in Catawba County from 2014 to 2024, presiding over civil and criminal trials mostly in Charlotte and western North Carolina [1]. During his Superior Court tenure, local coverage described his courtroom style, including wearing bow ties and sharing anecdotes with the public [6]. Following his retirement from the Superior Court, the governor appointed Sherri Elliott to fill the seat, and a portrait honoring Hayes's service was unveiled at the Catawba County Justice Center [4][5][7]. Hayes has also taught Business Law at Lenoir-Rhyne University and, per his survey response, currently serves as a certified Superior Court mediator [1].\n\n## Family\nHayes has been married to Kimberly T. Hayes since September 7, 1991; they have two adult children, per his Ballotpedia survey response [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Gregory R. Hayes (North Carolina District Court District 36 Seat 5, North Carolina, candidate 2026) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Gregory_R._Hayes_(North_Carolina_District_Court_District_36_Seat_5,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n[4] [Catawba County NC portrait of Gregory Hayes hung in court](https://hickoryrecord.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_e3dc26e2-30a3-48c9-b4fd-041cb18cb030.html)\n[5] [A portrait honoring retired Resident Superior Court Judge Gregory Hayes was unveiled this week at the Catawba County Justice Center](https://nextdoor.com/agency-post/nc/catawba-county/catawba-county-sheriffs-office/a-portrait-honoring-retired-resident-superior-court-judge-gregory-hayes-was-unveiled-this-week-at-the-catawba-county-justice-center-438137091/)\n[6] [Catawba County bow tie-wearing judge shares funny, weird stories from the courtroom](https://hickoryrecord.com/news/local/crime-courts/catawba-county-nc-judge-gregory-hayes-retired-superior-court/article_a753ec00-828b-11ef-8817-9b283c536014.html)\n[7] [NC governor appoints replacement for retired Catawba County Judge Greg Hayes](https://hickoryrecord.com/news/local/crime-courts/catawba-county-north-carolina-sherri-elliott-appointed-as-new-superior-court-judge/article_d22ebf58-b801-11ef-aed7-b7d41392e7b1.html)","firstname":"Gregory","lastname":"Hayes","middlename":"Ralph","suffix":null,"token":"eb2f60631ce32da9"},"token":"Qm7FsYz_AdTdrvJA"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":null,"o.office":"district_court_judge","office":"district_court_judge","officedescription":"In North Carolina, a district court judge presides over the high-volume lower trial court \u2014 misdemeanors, smaller civil cases, and most family and juvenile matters (custody, support, domestic violence, abuse/neglect). Many litigants appear without lawyers.","officequalities":"- Judge of a high-volume district court \u2014 misdemeanors, smaller civil cases, and family and juvenile matters, often with unrepresented parties.\n- Judicial temperament: the willingness to listen, deliberate, and apply the law dispassionately to people whose lives are deeply affected by the outcome.\n- Impartiality and ethics under the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct, including recusal when conflicts arise.\n- Working knowledge of family, juvenile, and criminal procedure and the precedent that controls.\n- Efficient management of a heavy docket while honoring due process.\n- Accessibility and clarity for the many who appear without counsel.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"District Court Judge","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc District Court Judge District 36 Seat 05"}