Mills Wins North Carolina District 24 Judge Race
Democrat Moshera Mills defeated Republican Erik Hamner in a special election to fill an unexpired judicial term in North Carolina's District 24.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
Live Poll
Do you trust local judges to rule fairly and follow the law?
Democrat Moshera Mills won the North Carolina District Court judge seat in District 24 over Republican Erik Hamner, receiving 143,950 votes to Hamner's 69,361. The results are complete but unofficial.
Why it matters
The seat opened when Judge Kimberly Michelle Fletcher retired effective January 31, 2026, and the outcome determines who serves on the bench in the district. Mills will fill the unexpired term ending December 31, 2028.
Mills captured 67.48% of the vote, or 143,950 ballots, compared with 32.52% (69,361 ballots) for Hamner. Official certification of the results has not yet been completed.
The players
Moshera Mills
Moshera Mills is a Democratic judge with 24 years of judicial system experience, including service as a Guilford County prosecutor and magistrate.
Erik Hamner
Erik Hamner is a Republican from Gibsonville who lost the District 24 judge race to Mills.
The details
Mills is a Democrat from Greensboro who earned her law degree from North Carolina Central University in 2001 and has 24 years of experience in the judicial system, including as a Guilford County prosecutor and magistrate. Hamner, a Republican from Gibsonville, is 44 years old, while Mills is 51.
Timeline
January 31, 2026: Judge Kimberly Michelle Fletcher retired from the District 24 seat.
November 3, 2026: General Election held to decide the District 24 judge seat.
December 31, 2028: Mills's unexpired term ends.
Political Context
North Carolina elects its district court judges in partisan-labeled contests, so Mills's win places a Democrat on the District 24 bench through the same process that governs every judicial vacancy in the state. The outcome follows the statewide pattern of voters choosing judges in contested elections rather than through appointment alone.
Mills will serve the remainder of the unexpired term through December 31, 2028, which determines who hears District 24 district court cases in the meantime. Residents of the district will see a new judge on the bench as that term begins.
The takeaway
Judicial seats in North Carolina can change hands through special elections when a judge retires mid-term, making local races consequential even when they draw less attention than statewide contests. Voters in District 24 have now chosen who will serve out this term.
Further reading
For more on how judicial and other races are decided across the state, see Elections coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Greensboro News and Record.
Live Poll
Do you trust local judges to rule fairly and follow the law?
