{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nSamuel Justin Ray is a Republican candidate for NC District Court Judge, District 35, Seat 1, covering Avery, Madison, Mitchell, Watauga, and Yancey counties in western North Carolina [1][2]. He ran in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary against Eric F. Eller [1].\n\n## Career\nPer his own responses in a Watauga Democrat primary voter guide, Ray has practiced law for seven years, with ten years of total legal experience including hands-on District Court work during and after law school [1]. His practice has focused on civil litigation, business disputes, real property matters, and probate and estate-related litigation, representing individuals and small to mid-sized businesses [1]. He describes himself as an entrepreneur and small-business owner in the Newland, NC area [1][2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [2026 Primary Voter Guide: NC District Court Judge District 35 Seat 1 \u2013 Watauga Democrat](https://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/local/2026-primary-voter-guide-nc-district-court-judge-district-35-seat-1-republican/article_b6a2ffd9-32c6-4271-ab7a-b31b77a45912.html)\n[2] [North Carolina 2026 Candidate Listing (NCSBE)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20","campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_035_seat_01","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc District Court Judge District 35 Seat 01"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Samuel","fullname":"Samuel Justin Ray","lastname":"Ray","middlename":"Justin","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_035_seat_01","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 35 Seat 01","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_035_seat_01","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 35 Seat 01","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"8175b0e9d20e30e6"}