Superior Court Judge, Gaston County

Craig Collins is a Gaston County Superior Court judge who was elected to that court without opposition in 2024 after nine years as a district court judge, nine years as a Gaston County assistant district attorney and nine years in private practice in Gastonia⁵²⁶. Governor Pat McCrory first appointed him to the district court in February 2016⁴. He faces Democrat Christine Walczyk for an open Court of Appeals seat on November 3, 2026 in this partisan race¹³.

• Superior Court Judge, Gaston County (Superior Court District 38), since his 2024 election⁵²
• District Court Judge, Judicial District 27A (Gaston County), February 2016 to 2024⁴⁶
• Owner, Law Office of Craig Collins, Gastonia, for nine years; assistant district attorney, Gaston County, for nine years⁶⁴
• B.A., University of Pittsburgh, 1994; J.D., Villanova University School of Law, 1997; admitted to the bar in 1997²⁶
• Appointed to the district court by Governor Pat McCrory on February 16, 2016 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Chief District Court Judge Ralph Gingles Jr., and later elected to that seat⁴⁵. Elected to the Superior Court without opposition in November 2024⁵. The 2026 Republican primary for Court of Appeals Seat 3 was canceled and he advanced to the general election³⁷.