RALEIGH — Mecklenburg County district court judge Michael Stading, a Republican candidate for the N.C. Court of Appeals, reported an eye-popping fundraising total in his bid for a seat on the appellate court.
In his year-end report, Stading raised $171,306, what the campaigns calls a modern record in state history.
First elected to Mecklenburg’s 26th District Court bench in 2018, Stading announced his run for the Court of Appeals in Jan. 2021.
“I am incredibly humbled and tremendously grateful for the generosity and support of so many North Carolinians who are unified behind our campaign,” Stading said in a statement. “We’ve crisscrossed North Carolina, attending event after event to meet as many voters as possible. We’ve built a strong coalition of statewide support, established a brilliant campaign team and strategy, and are well positioned to win the General Election – and save our Constitution – in November.”
According to campaign finance records, his year-end total is more than the rest of the announced candidates combined.
A Mint Hill native, Stading is also in the Air Force Reserve. In an interview with North State Journal last year, Stading said he was running because, “I’ve been a prosecutor, so have that perspective. I did defense work, so I have that perspective… it’s important to have judges who have been involved in both sides of the process actively and know it intimately.”
