Who is running for District Court Judge, District 26, Seat 20 in 2026?
Here are the candidates for District Court Judge, District 26, Seat 20 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in District Court Judge.
Judges may not promise how they would rule, so we show experience and record instead of issue positions.
Karen D. McCallum
Democrat · IncumbentDistrict Court Judge, District 26, Seat 20 (Mecklenburg County)
Karen McCallum has been a Mecklenburg County district court judge since January 2019 and sits in the district's domestic court23. She was a senior assistant district attorney on the Mecklenburg habitual felon team from 2016 to 2018 and, before that, a conflict attorney with the public defender's office for 14 years3. She is unopposed on the November 2026 ballot in this partisan race1.
- District Court Judge, 26th Judicial District, since January 1, 2019, assigned to district domestic court23
- Senior assistant district attorney, Habitual Felon Trial Team, Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office, 2016 to 2018; conflict attorney, Office of the Public Defender, 2002 to 2016; assistant Department of Social Services attorney; U.S. Army veteran3
- B.A. in criminal justice, Temple University; J.D., University of North Carolina School of Law3
- Elected on November 6, 2018, defeating Khalif Rhodes 56.2 percent to 43.8 percent, and took office January 1, 2019; reelected without opposition on November 8, 20222. Both 2026 primaries were canceled and she is unopposed in November21.
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.