{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Cindy Sturges","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Cynthia King Sturges is the incumbent Republican judge for Judicial District\u202f9 of the North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election\u202f[1]. The position is a trial\u2011level judgeship in the state\u2019s Superior Court system, where judges preside over civil and criminal cases and serve eight\u2011year terms. \n\nSturges first won election to this seat in the 2018 general election, defeating incumbent Democrat Carolyn J.\u202fThompson and fellow candidate Mitchell Styers with 46.7\u202f% of the vote (38,113 votes)\u202f[1]. She was sworn in on January\u202f1,\u202f2019, and her current term is scheduled to expire on December\u202f31,\u202f2026\u202f[1].\n\nDuring her tenure, Judge Sturges has fulfilled the duties of a Superior Court judge for Judicial District\u202f9, which encompasses several counties in northeastern North Carolina. While specific policy positions or campaign platforms are not detailed in the available sources, her continued candidacy indicates an intent to remain on the bench for another term.\n\nNo publicly listed campaign website, email address, or telephone contact information is provided in the cited sources, and no portrait image is available.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Cynthia Sturges - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Cynthia_Sturges)\n- [5] [Candidate Lists | NCSBE](https://www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists)\n- [8] [Upcoming Election | NCSBE](https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election)\n- [9] [2026 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_North_Carolina)\n- [10] [2026 North Carolina House of Representatives election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_election)\n- [11] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)","firstname":"Cynthia","lastname":"Sturges","middlename":"King","suffix":null,"token":"0b6fa244c47458e4"},"token":"SMnSroclqGFcEgPY"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":null,"o.office":"superior_court_judge","office":"superior_court_judge","officedescription":"In North Carolina, a superior court judge presides over the general-jurisdiction trial court \u2014 felony criminal cases and civil cases above the district-court limit \u2014 riding a rotation among the counties of the judicial district. Decisions are subject to appellate review.","officequalities":"- Trial-court judge of general civil and criminal jurisdiction \u2014 presides over jury and bench trials, dispositive motions, and felony sentencing.\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 the substantive and procedural law that controls, and the published precedent.\n- Docket management across a rotating district while honoring due process.\n- Clear written and oral explanation of rulings, so the parties and the public can follow the reasoning.","officeterm":8,"officetitle":"Superior Court Judge","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc Superior Court Judge District 11 Seat 02"}