The race for Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court features two candidates, the incumbent, Mark Martin, and challenger Ola M. Lewis. The election is technically nonpartisan, though Martin receives support from the state’s Republican Party. He was appointed to the position by Governor McCrory in August, following the resignation of Chief Justice Sarah Parker due to her reaching the mandatory retirement age. Some say this appointment will give Martin an advantage in the fall, but history is inconclusive on this subject.
That Martin is in a race at all is a bit of a surprise. Martin was originally expected to run unopposed, leading some to accuse Lewis of political opportunism (she was originally slated to run against Justice Cheri Beasley). Both Martin and Lewis are Republicans. Lewis, notably, is an African American woman and could potentially receive support from the state’s sizable black community.
Lewis’s switcheroo has made many GOPers angry with her, especially because she raised in almost $64,000 from over 100 donors last year, money given to her with the expectation that she would run for the Beasley seat. Many Republicans felt betrayed and deceived, and the party’s Executive Committee rebuked Lewis by overwhelmingly endorsing Martin for the seat.
With no prior service on the Supreme Court, some say that Lewis is a rookie candidate, even though she’s served in the past in district and superior court. The North Carolina Supreme Court Historical Society weighed in, saying that “there has never been a chief justice elected to the North Carolina Supreme Court without having first served as associate justice of the Court.” (The situation at the U.S. Supreme Court is obviously different, where Chief Justices often have no prior experience as an Associate Justice, as is the case with the current Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts.) Martin maintains that it’s not a position that lends itself to on-the-job training.
Lewis, for her part, has implied that Martin feels entitled to the chief justice spot and that her lack of experience on the Supreme Court is an asset; she laments the court’s “decline in productivity.” Most observers anticipate Martin to prevail in the fall, but Lewis’s potential to draw support from both parties and to win African American votes makes this potentially competitive. Of course, Mark Martin’s sharing the name of a NASCAR driver shouldn’t hurt his chances running statewide in North Carolina.
PPP looked at this race last month. Not surprisingly, three-quarters of voters were undecided. 16% said they were going to vote for Mark Martin, while 7% indicated they would vote for Ola Lewis. There are no evident partisan, racial, or gender differences in the vote from the crosstabs, though they may appear in the final results.
The candidates participated in a discussion and explained their qualifications for the office and their judicial philosophy. The video is posted here. There will be a huge dropoff in voters from U.S. Senate to the judicial races, even the Chief Justice race, so turnout and informing voters will be key for both candidates.
According to the last available data, Martin has raised over $254,000. Lewis has raised over $77,000.
Ola M. Lewis
Superior Court Judge
Brunswick County
Party: Republican
Education: North Carolina Central University (J.D.)
Female, African American
Social Media Score: 4,892
Mark D. Martin
Chief Justice, NC Supreme Court – incumbent
Age: 51
Family: Wife and 5 children
Education: Western Carolina University (B.S.), UNC-Chapel Hill (J.D.), University of Virginia (master of laws in judicial process)
Party: Republican
Male, White
Social Media Score: 1,390
John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.
So who gets the top of the ballot here? While judicial elections are non-partisan, thanks to the nc republican legislature, the judges are ordered based on political affiliation. As opposed to alphabetical as in the past. It seems if you’re going to order the ballots based on party affiliation then you must include the party otherwise there is no reason (other than political gamesmanship) to list the names in any order other than alphabetical.
Had the ballot continued to be listed in the previous alphabetical manner, democratic judges would all have been on top of the ballot in their respective races.
Betrayed and deceived indeed! Not to mention certain folks who encouraged that woman to make that switch. They will never be forgiven. They know who they are, and they know I know who they are.
Sir, I am the one who was both betrayed and deceived when Robinson entered the race with Beasley! Moreover, those who gave me money were giving because of who I am, not the seat I am seeking! Martin has been given a pass for being a very big part of one of the lowest ranking courts in the Nation, ranking 50th by way of a Duke Law School Study. Why should he walk in unopposed when every other Justice faces a challenge? Entitlement attitude indeed supported by the Establishment of the GOP! The same Establishment that endorsed Martin as the NCGOP Candidate! The same Establishment which changed the order of the fall ballot so his name appears on top of mine! Furthermore, the same Establishment who appointed him interim Chief Justice stacking the political deck even higher in his favor! The BIG difference between the US Supreme Court and the NC Supreme Court is the US Supreme Court writes opinions! Ours? 17 year to date! That equates less than 3 opinions per Justice this year! In 11 months!! Thank God our Constitution gives the people of NC the right to vote for their Chief! Power to the people and not the “Dark Money” of political PACs or of the political insiders of the NCGOP! See you where real race champions rule…Winner’s Circle!