{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Theodore (Ted) Kazakos","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Theodore (Ted) Kazakos is the incumbent judge for Seat\u202f3 of the North Carolina 31st Judicial District Court.  District Court judges in North Carolina preside over civil matters up to $25,000, misdemeanor criminal cases, family law issues, and conduct preliminary hearings for felony cases.  Judges are elected to four\u2011year terms and must be licensed attorneys who reside in the district they serve.  Kazakos began his current term on January\u202f1,\u202f2024, which runs through December\u202f31,\u202f2026, and he is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  The Republican primary for the seat was cancelled, allowing him to advance automatically to the ballot [1].\n\nKazakos has a long record on the North Carolina trial bench.  He was first elected to the 21st Judicial District Court in 2014, winning the Republican primary with 46.7\u202f% of the vote and defeating Democratic opponent Valene Franco in the November general with 57.3\u202f% of the vote.  He was re\u2011elected without opposition in 2018, receiving 100\u202f% of the votes cast (74,904) after the primary was cancelled, and again in 2022, winning the general election with 100\u202f% of the vote (76,351) as the sole candidate on the ballot [1].  In each of those cycles the Republican primary was cancelled, so he advanced unopposed.\n\nBefore his judicial service, Kazakos worked in the administrative arm of the Consolidated Judicial Retirement System (CJRS).  Public salary records show he held an administrative position there from 2015 through 2017, earning $116,710 in 2017, which was slightly below the system\u2019s average salary for that role [11].  The CJRS administers retirement benefits for North Carolina\u2019s judges and judicial employees, giving Kazakos experience with the state\u2019s judicial infrastructure beyond the courtroom.\n\nAs a district judge, Kazakos has been evaluated by the North Carolina Bar Association.  In a 2014 survey of lawyers, he received an average rating of 3.95 for integrity and impartiality and 3.74 for legal ability, indicating a generally positive assessment from the legal community [1].  His continued re\u2011election without opposition suggests broad support within his district.\n\nKazakos is a member of the Republican Party and is listed on the ballot as the Republican candidate for the 31st Judicial District Court Seat\u202f3 in the 2026 general election.  No campaign website or public contact information (email or phone) is provided in the available sources.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Theodore Kazakos - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Theodore_Kazakos)\n- [7] [Theodoros Kazakos \u03c3\u03b5 \u03ac\u03c4\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1](https://www.facebook.com/public/Theodoros-Kazakos/?locale=el_GR)\n- [11] [Theodoros Kazakos | GovSalaries](https://govsalaries.com/kazakos-theodoros-31304249)","firstname":"Theodoros","lastname":"Kazakos","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"693a64dde6000577"},"token":"1OJZwHek3XGSozDj"}],"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 31 Seat 03"}