Who is running for NC Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 2 in 2026?

Superior Court Judge, Judicial District 26C (Mecklenburg County)

George Bell has been a Mecklenburg County Superior Court judge since 2019, elected in 2018 to District 26C, and says he has presided over more than 100 felony jury trials²⁵⁴. Before the bench he ran the Bell and Bell Law Firm in Charlotte from 2006 to 2018, handling criminal and family law cases⁴. He faces Democratic incumbent Toby Hampson on November 3, 2026 in this partisan race¹³.

• Superior Court Judge, Mecklenburg County, Judicial District 26C, 2019 to present; he says he has presided over more than 100 felony jury trials⁴²
• Owner, Bell and Bell Law Firm, P.C., 2006 to 2018, a criminal defense and family law practice; law clerk in Virginia, 2004 to 2005; admitted in Virginia and Tennessee in 2004 and North Carolina in 2006⁴²
• B.S., Cornell University, 2000; J.D., Regent University School of Law, 2003²⁴
• Elected to the Superior Court for District 26C on November 6, 2018, with 24,812 votes (46.9 percent) to 18,500 for Reggie E. McKnight and 9,595 for Howard L. Clark III, according to the State Board of Elections' official results, and took office in 2019⁸². The 2026 Republican primary was canceled and he advanced to the general election³¹.

Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals

Toby Hampson has served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals since January 2019, when he took office after winning a three-way 2018 election³². He was an appellate and civil litigation attorney at Raleigh law firms from 2004 to 2018, a Court of Appeals law clerk before that, and is certified by the State Bar as an appellate practice specialist²⁴. He faces Republican Superior Court Judge George Bell on November 3, 2026 in this partisan race¹³.

• Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals, since January 2019³²
• Appellate and civil litigation attorney at Wyrick, Robbins, Yates and Ponton and at Patterson, Dilthey, Clay, Bryson and Anderson, 2004 to 2018; law clerk, North Carolina Court of Appeals, 2002 to 2004; State Bar certified appellate practice specialist²⁴
• North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, 1994; B.A. in international studies and history, American University, 1998; J.D., Campbell University School of Law, 2002, where he was on the Law Review³⁴
• Elected on November 6, 2018, defeating Jefferson Griffin and Sandra Ray with 48.8 percent of the vote, and took office in January 2019 for an eight-year term³. The 2026 Democratic primary was canceled; he is seeking a second term³¹.