Who is on the ballot in 28711?

Jennifer Capps Balkcom is an eighth-generation Western North Carolinian raised on her family's apple farm in Henderson County, per her campaign site. She began her career in banking and finance in 1998 and now works as a Mortgage Loan Officer and small-business owner, per the campaign site. She currently represents Henderson County in the North Carolina House and is running for Congress in North Carolina's 11th District, per the campaign site.

Ager is a fifth-generation farmer who owns a sustainable meat company employing 25 people and holds degrees in environmental studies and history from Warren Wilson College, per the campaign site. He farms in Fairview in Western North Carolina, per the campaign site.

Travis Groo is a trucking safety specialist, per press coverage of the race. No campaign website was found as of October 20, 2026.

Roy Cooper is a former North Carolina governor and attorney general, per the campaign site. He was born and raised in Nash County, earned undergraduate and law degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and practiced law in Rocky Mount, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he served four consecutive terms as attorney general and, as governor, reached a Medicaid expansion deal covering about 650,000 people.

Michael Whatley was raised in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Wake Forest University and the University of Notre Dame, per the campaign site. He began his public service as a federal law clerk in Charlotte and later served as Sen. Elizabeth Dole's chief of staff, per the campaign site. He served as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and, at President Trump's request, as chairman of the Republican National Committee, per the campaign site.

Shannon W. Bray is a Navy veteran and cybersecurity professional, per the campaign site. He says he is running for the U.S. Senate because North Carolina deserves leadership that understands modern threats without sacrificing fundamental freedoms, per the campaign site.

Michael Dublin is a native North Carolinian, a public school educator who recently retired from teaching, and a lifelong community activist, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he has led a prison ministry for more than two decades. He filed as the North Carolina Green Party's U.S. Senate candidate on June 15, 2026, per the state Green Party.

Earls is an attorney who currently serves as an Associate Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court, per the campaign site. Her campaign focuses on protecting constitutional rights for North Carolinians, per the campaign site.

Sarah Stevens is an attorney with more than 30 years in private practice and president of the Surry County Bar Association, per her campaign site. She has served as Republican Leader and Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House, chairing the House Elections Law and Judiciary Committees, and holds a law degree from Campbell University School of Law, per her campaign site.

John S. Arrowood is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Michael C. Byrne is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Tobias (Toby) Hampson is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

George Cooper Bell is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Christine Marie Walczyk is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Craig Collins is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Martin Moore is an attorney with his own mediation and appellate practice who began his career as an Asheville public defender, and is a sitting Buncombe County commissioner for District 2, per WLOS and the county's official roster. He holds degrees from UNC and UNC Law.

Quentin Miller has been Buncombe County's sheriff since December 2018, the county's first African-American sheriff, and is seeking a third term, per the sheriff's office site. He served 11 years as a U.S. Army military police officer and was an original member of the Asheville Police Department's community policing unit.

Gary Parris is a retired Navy senior chief with 22 years in cryptology and naval intelligence, a former Buncombe County deputy sheriff, and a criminal justice educator with a master's in strategic intelligence and an MPA, per his campaign site and Mountain Xpress.

Christy, a former Assistant Public Defender in Asheville and Lumberton, represented low-income children and adults in juvenile and misdemeanor cases, per the campaign site. She holds a Juris Doctor from Washington and Lee University School of Law, per the campaign site. Her site emphasizes fair and respectful service in managing court records and estate administration, per the campaign site.

Alan Thornburg is the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for Buncombe County, appointed to the bench by Governor Mike Easley in 2009, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch. He received a bachelor's degree in history from Davidson College in 1989 and a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1996, and worked as a private practice attorney in Asheville before joining the bench, per the Buncombe County Bar. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Ward D. Scott serves as Chief District Court Judge in Buncombe County, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch directory. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Julie M. Kepple currently serves as a District Court Judge for Buncombe County, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch directory. Kepple and a group of stakeholders created ASPIRE court in 2014, a treatment court program recognized for its high success rate among participants, per the Buncombe County Bar. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Ben Scales is a candidate for District Court Judge, District 40, Seat 3, in Buncombe County, per his campaign site. He has more than 35 years of trial and appellate experience in state and federal courts, has practiced in Buncombe County District Court since 2006, and served as a law clerk to two federal judges. He earned a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1986 and a Juris Doctor from the Cumberland School of Law in 1991, and has been inducted into the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society every year since 2014, per the same source.

Susan (Smitty) Dotson-Smith has served as a District Court judge in Buncombe County since 2012, per the Buncombe County Bar. Dotson-Smith received her J.D. from Wake Forest School of Law and was in private practice in Asheville for about twenty years before becoming a judge, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.

Ed Clontz currently serves as a District Court Judge for Buncombe County, appointed to the bench by Governor Bev Perdue in 2011, per the North Carolina Judicial Branch directory. Before his appointment, Clontz served as chief assistant clerk of Superior Court in Buncombe County and previously as a county magistrate, per the Buncombe County Bar. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.