Late candidacy could help Democrats win North Carolina Supreme Court race
RALEIGH — A last-minute candidacy has the potential to dilute Republican votes this fall for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat and boost chances for the Democrats to expand their majority on the court.
Raleigh attorney Chris Anglin filed on the last available day last week as a registered Republican to run for the seat held by another Republican, Associate Justice Barbara Jackson, who is seeking re-election. Civil rights lawyer Anita Earls is running as a Democrat.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reports Anglin actually was a registered Democrat until he changed his voter affiliation in early June, a couple weeks before the judicial candidate filing period began.
Paul Shumaker, a GOP consultant, said Anglin could split the GOP vote in the three-way race. Democrats currently hold a 4-3 majority on the Supreme Court, so an Earls victory would expand the party's margin to 5-2.
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