{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRobert Seth Banks, known as Seth Banks, is the District Attorney for Prosecutorial District 35, encompassing Avery, Madison, Mitchell, Watauga, and Yancey counties in North Carolina. He took the oath of office for his third full term on January 3, 2023. He filed as a Republican candidate for re-election on December 2, 2025.\n\n## Background and education\nBanks grew up in Yancey County, North Carolina, on a family farm that has been in his family for five generations. He graduated from Mountain Heritage High School, attended North Carolina State University for his undergraduate degree, and earned his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law.\n\n## Career\nAfter law school, Banks worked as an Assistant District Attorney in North Carolina's Triad area for approximately six years. He was appointed to lead the 24th Prosecutorial District (later renumbered District 35) in June 2014 and was elected to a full term in November 2014, then re-elected in 2018 and 2022. He has prosecuted cases including first-degree murder, drug trafficking, crimes against children, and serious felony assaults. The North Carolina State Bar has certified him as a Specialist in State Criminal Law.\n\n## Family\nBanks is married to his high school sweetheart, Gretchen.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Prosecutorial District 35 \u2013 NC Conference of District Attorneys](https://www.ncdistrictattorney.org/district-attorney/prosecutorial-district-35/)\n- [2] [Banks sworn in for third term as District Attorney \u2013 Watauga Democrat](https://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/local/banks-sworn-in-for-third-term-as-district-attorney/article_1caf7220-9388-11ed-8e2b-338ed01457df.html)","campaigns":[{"contest":"district_attorney_dist_035","county":"avery","county_count":5,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"District Attorney District 35"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Robert","fullname":"Robert Seth Banks","lastname":"Banks","middlename":"Seth","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"district_attorney_dist_035","contest_title":"District Attorney District 35","county":"avery","county_count":5,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"district_attorney","office_title":"District Attorney","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"district_attorney_dist_035","contest_title":"District Attorney District 35","county":"avery","county_count":5,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"district_attorney","office_title":"District Attorney","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"district_attorney","office_title":"District Attorney","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Robert Seth Banks is the District Attorney for North Carolina's 35th Prosecutorial District, as indicated by Ballotpedia.","terms":[],"token":"a8a144fd2f96d550"}