{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Amalia Mercedes Restucha","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAmalia Mercedes Restucha is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina District Court, District 10D, Seat 2, on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot, running against Republican incumbent J. Brian Ratledge. Both parties' March 3, 2026 primaries for the seat were canceled, advancing each party's sole filer directly to the general election [1].\n\nRestucha has not completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, so no campaign-provided biography, education, or professional background is publicly available [1].\n\nHer campaign has been endorsed by state Senators Sydney Batch and Lisa Grafstein and former U.S. Representative Bob Etheridge [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Amalia Mercedes Restucha - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amalia_Mercedes_Restucha) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19","firstname":"Amalia","lastname":"Restucha","middlename":"Mercedes","suffix":null,"token":"725b4cb6854768fe"},"token":"-SogkSyXI8g7qw0B"},{"candidatename":"J. Brian Ratledge","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJohn Brian Ratledge, known as Brian Ratledge, is a District Court Judge for Judicial District 10D, Seat 2, serving Wake County, North Carolina. He was first elected to the bench in November 2018 and re-elected in November 2022. He is a Republican. Effective April 1, 2021, he was designated Lead Domestic Court Judge for Wake County, a role he held until July 2025. He presides over criminal, domestic, domestic violence, and civil court matters.\n\n## Background and education\nRatledge earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science through the Honors Program at the University of Tennessee, and his Juris Doctorate from Campbell University School of Law.\n\n## Career\nBefore his election to the bench, Ratledge served three years on the Wake County Board of Elections, serving as Chairman during his final year in 2015\u20132016. He also served three years on the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court's Rules Advisory Commission.\n\n## Family\nHe is married to Elizabeth Ratledge. They have three children.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [About \u2013 Judge Brian Ratledge](https://judgebrianratledge.com/about/)\n- [2] [The Honorable Brian Ratledge \u2013 NC Courts Bio](https://www.nccourts.gov/assets/inline-files/Bio%20-%20Brian%20Ratledge.pdf)","firstname":"John","lastname":"Ratledge","middlename":"Brian","suffix":null,"token":"d095fdfc4a221133"},"token":"_S4mtZfR2r4_3wsi"}],"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 10D Seat 02"}