The unofficial results are in for the race to be the Democratic nominee for district court judge in Orange and Chatham counties. Hathaway Pendergrass has won the primary with 54.84 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.
There are no Republicans running in the race, so Pendergrass will likely claim the third seat in District 15b. The district courts hear civil cases involving less than $25,000 and misdemeanors, as well as juvenile cases.
Pendergrass is a Carrboro native and UNC graduate who practices law in Chapel Hill. He emphasized his local roots and the importance of being close to the community in his campaign.
Pendergrass said he felt humbled by the election result.
"We ran a community campaign from day one,” Pendergrass said. “And I think we just saw the community respond and turn out. Having grown up here, and been so connected with people for years and years and years, it means a lot to me to get to gain their confidence.”
As part of Pendergrass’ platform, he has been a proponent of recovery court, which provides a treatment alternative to those facing drug charges, instead of incarceration.
The other candidates in the race were Erika Bales, Lamar Proctor and Noah Oswald. The N.C. State Board of Elections previously said Bales, who was registered as unaffiliated, would not be able to accept the Democratic nomination had she won. Bales expressed frustration that she was not made aware that she needed to register as one party, and that she tends to vote for Democratic candidates and support Democratic policies.
UNC Young Democrats president Rupi Jain said at a Super Tuesday watch party at the Varsity Theater that district court judges were an important position for students.
“Anything from Silent Sam to traffic tickets goes to our district court judge, so knowing who’s on the ballot and who’s going to be deciding those cases is really important,” Jain said.
